Mac Lochlainn says government 'dragging their heels' costing people up to €42,000

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has again appealed to the government to honour the commitment that they made last Autumn to make the increase in the cap for the Defective Block Grant Scheme available to all homeowners availing of the scheme and not just new entrants.

The Donegal Sinn Féin TD has accused the government of "dragging their heels" on this for months.

"This is a straightforward amendment to the 2022 legislation and it should have been brought through the Dáil and the Seanad before the election late last year, as I had called for,” he said. “My fears have now been realised and a large number of homeowners are facing real financial hardship trying to make the final payments to builders for the remediation work to their homes. These delays are costing them as much as €42,000 of a shortfall.

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“There can be no excuse for these delays. The government have been dragging their heels. These amendments to the legislation do not have to come before the Oireachtas Committees. They could have been brought before the Dáil and the Seanad at any stage since the election and speedily passed as they are supported by the opposition if they honour the commitments made late last year.

“These delays are cruel and they are causing unnecessary anguish to many families across Donegal. I appeal to Minister James Browne and the Government to urgently sort this out, once and for all".

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne's most recent reply was: “The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) was commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.

“Following updated cost reports from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and advice from the Expert Group established to consider the matter, a further increase was provided for on 23 October 2024 through (S.I. 577 of 2024). The Scheme Cap has risen by 10% to €462,000. An increase in the scheme grant rates of between 7.4% and 8.7% that are set out in the 2023 Regulations was also approved on 7 November 2024. (S.I. No. 621 of 2024).

“The Act provides that any increase in the scheme cap or grant rates will apply to eligible relevant owners that are yet to receive a determination in respect of remediation option and grant amount. My Department sought legal advice that confirmed that extending these increases to a wider group of relevant owners requires amending the Act.

“The Spring 2025 Government Legislation Programme has included the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill for priority drafting. This Bill will contain details of the wider group of relevant owners that can avail of the increase in the grant scheme cap and rates.”