Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2026
611. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the development of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2024; when the Bill will come before the Houses of the Oireachtas; if the remediation scheme will cover balcony defects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21847/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment approval was received on 18 September 2024 for the priority drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill. The purpose of this legislation is to place the defects remediation Scheme on a statutory footing, further to commitments contained in the Programme for Government and Housing for All.
The Scheme will provide supports for the remediation of relevant fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded.
The General Scheme of the Bill completed pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) in December 2025. I have received the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage's PLS report of the general scheme and it is being considered in the context of the drafting of the Bill. Many of the recommendations were already being progressed in some form by my Department prior to the PLS process and, as such, I expect that a good deal of it will be taken on board in the Scheme where possible.
The content of the final Bill will be a matter for the Government to agree in due course. The drafting of the Bill is being progressed at pace and I expect the legislation to be placed before the Oireachtas this year.
