I thank Deputy Ward for raising this matter and for speaking to me about this item earlier. I know he has also engaged with the Minister, Deputy Browne, on this matter and the concerns it raises for residents and the owner management company of The Crofton apartments, Dún Laoghaire.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government decision of 18 January 2023 approved the development of supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartments, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. Drafting of the apartment and duplex defects remediation scheme Bill is well advanced. I expect that the Bill will be published before the end of this year and that the statutory scheme will be in place shortly thereafter. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded.
The interim remediation scheme for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works in apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013 opened to applications from owners' management companies in December 2023. The scheme is administered by the Housing Agency on a nationwide basis. The scheme provides for the full funding of interim measures in order to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings, pending completion of the full remedial works. Full remedial works, which will include all necessary fire safety measures, as well as those related to water ingress and structural damage, will be funded under the statutory scheme. The Housing Agency has committed its knowledge and resources to helping to design and now operate this scheme. Its experience of dealing with, for example, the pyrite remediation scheme and the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme has been particularly useful in this regard. The scheme is shaped following a significant period of consultation with homeowner representatives. Their insights have been an essential element that has allowed my Department, the Housing Agency and local authority fire services to put together this scheme.
Appropriate pathfinder projects within the scheme were identified in April 2024. These pathfinder projects have allowed the mapping of the application and remediation process into simple steps, to identify pinch points and their solutions and to provide consistency across submissions and related workings. Three of the pathfinder projects are situated in the Dublin area, involving three local authorities, and one in Kildare. These projects vary in size and complexity and provide valuable insights for both this interim and the forthcoming statutory scheme.
As of the end of August 2026, 293 applications to the scheme have been validated, having met the required eligibility criteria. These applications represent over 25,000 residential units, with circa 75% in the Dublin region. Of the 293 validated applications, 151 to date have provided documentary evidence confirming the key eligibility requirements.
During the validation process, the Housing Agency established that The Crofton building was originally constructed as an office and was subsequently converted to residential use. This raised a question as to whether it falls within the scope of the scheme, which is intended for purpose-built apartment and duplex developments.
All applications received by the Housing Agency remain subject to verification and validation and their status can change as ongoing data cleansing and due diligence are completed. While this application initially progressed through the process, that did not represent a final determination of eligibility. Eligibility is determined with reference to the scope of the scheme as approved by the Government.
I recognise, however, that developments which were lawfully converted to residential use raise broader policy and equity considerations in the context of apartment defects remediation and the safety and well-being of residents. I have asked my Department officials to examine such developments in the context of their current work in devising this scheme.
