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LAST UPDATE | 4 Jun
HOUSING MINISTER JAMES Browne today brought a memo to Cabinet for priority redrafting of the Bill regarding remediation for homes affected by defective building blocks.
Several thousand homes, many in Donegal but also in counties Mayo, Clare, Limerick, and Sligo, among others, have been affected by the crisis.
In 2022, a Bill to provide remediation was enacted. The amendment today is designed to improve the efficiency and fairness of the current scheme.
It comes after the housing minister met with a number of groups in Letterkenny recently and visited some impacted properties, saying he “wanted to act rapidly as a result of the meetings with families and advocacy groups”.
Near the end of last year, the Government approved the increase of the grant available to homeowners whose properties were affected by defective building blocks from €420,000 to €460,000. The per square metre rates used in the scheme to calculate the grant available were also increased in that time.
Browne’s proposed amendments today would provide “fairness” to impacted homeowners by allowing homeowners who faced higher construction costs before the amount was increased to avail of the increase.
Similarly, the increase in the per square metre rates is now proposed to apply retrospectively to homeowners affected by higher construction costs.
It is proposed that the increase in the scheme cap and rates would apply to all applicants that had incurred eligible costs since 29 March 2024.
It would also allow for the side-by-side construction of a new property while the affected property is retained in “very limited circumstances for specific vulnerable homeowner families”, bypassing strict legislative constraints in place.
The period to complete works will also be extended from 65 weeks to 130 weeks.
Today’s announcement has been cautiously welcomed by Donegal 100% Redress TD Charles Ward.
“I’m optimistic but we’ve been here before and the devil will be in the detail. We need to be cautious,” he told The Journal.
Ward welcomed the news that vulnerable families can rebuild their house side-by-side to their old house and will no longer have to first demolish their existing home before starting work on the new home.
He gave the example of families who have adaptations made to their homes for family members with additional needs.
He said these families have, to date, been left in an unfair situation as they have not been able to find suitable accommodation to live in while they build their new home.
Ward also cautiously welcomed today’s announcement that the timeline for completion of homes will be extended from 65 weeks to 130 weeks and said there is a fear that some in the construction sector may take advantage of this extension.
On the retrospective payment announced today, Ward queried why a cut-off date of 29 March 2024.
“The issue with that is if someone starts their build and completes it in February or early March 2024, they aren’t entitled to that additional 10%. And that’s the difference between €40,000 and nothing. So where they can’t get that retrospective payment, they’re in debt,” Ward said.
Ward was elected to Dáil Éireann in last year’s general election for the 100% Redress Party, a single issue party campaigning for 100% redress for households impacted by defective concrete blocks.
Ward’s own home is impacted by defective concrete blocks.
With reporting from Emma Hickey
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