I thank all the Deputies for their valued contributions on Second Stage. The amendments in this Bill, as outlined earlier by the Minister once again clearly illustrate the Government's commitment to continuing to support homeowners in counties affected by defective concrete blocks as they work to remediate their homes and move on with their lives. I understand how difficult it is for people. Limerick is a county where people have dealt with pyrite and defective concrete blocks. Taking up the point that Deputy Ó Murchú made, counties can apply to be part of the defective concrete blocks scheme through their local authorities. It is something that we did in Limerick a while back. Changes were brought about to the original scheme under the 2022 Act that provide further benefits for homeowners. The changes proposed take note of the concerns brought to my Department by various stakeholders in the grant scheme. I want affected homeowners to have confidence in the scheme and to know they are being listened to and, more importantly, supported by Government. As outlined by my ministerial colleagues, the main purpose of the Bill is to provide details to the wider group of relevant owners who can avail of the most recent increases in the grant scheme cap and rates. This will ensure that those homeowners who have received a determination but who were experiencing increased construction costs during their own remediation works can apply to their designated local authority for an increase in the remediation option grant. I understand this will benefit a large number of homeowners in terms of thousands of euro each and indeed up to a maximum amount of €42,000 in some cases. I know this is much-needed and I feel it will certainly help to ease the financial burden on homeowners during what I know have been deeply distressing times in their lives. I have witnessed it first-hand with constituents. I assure homeowners that we are committed to making this scheme work. No scheme is perfect but the changes we are proposing will have a real impact for homeowners, some of whom, without a doubt, find themselves in very difficult circumstances. We will continue to work with local authorities, the construction sector and the Housing Agency to deliver a scheme that can help homeowners to fix their homes and move on with their lives. In an area as complex as defective concrete blocks, it is perhaps inevitable that at times, any scheme will, despite the best of original intentions, not address all the concerns of each and every applicant. This is to be expected given the fact that each and every household affected by the scourge of defective concrete blocks has its own unique and personal story to tell. Unfortunately, legislation does not often lend itself to capture and respond to all of these personal stories. The best we can do is, through experience and engagement, react to and improve things as we progress. In the first instance, this is what the Bill is about. It is staging interventions made necessary by homeowners' experience under the enhanced scheme over the past number of years. These interventions will, I firmly believe, make the scheme fairer and allow it to operate more efficiently and effectively for all those who are in it. I understand the challenges for the families affected by defective concrete blocks. In particular, I am very much aware of certain vulnerable families. The circumstances of a small number of families have been highlighted to me over the past number of months. These are, without doubt, very difficult for the families concerned. The Government is committed to helping these families as much as possible. While not in the Bill, an amendment to allow the construction of adjacent dwellings in specific circumstances will be brought forward on Committee Stage. The intention of this amendment is to provide that homeowners in specific circumstances will be able to rebuild in the general vicinity of their current dwelling, allowing them to remain in their current home during the reconstruction period. I know it could be seen as going against the fundamental principle of the scheme, that is, of rebuilding current homes, but I genuinely feel that this is an exception that is needed and worth making in the circumstances. This will provide meaningful help and greater assistance for the most vulnerable in moving on with the scheme. We have listened and continue to listen to the concerns raised. An amendment will also be tabled on Committee Stage that will assist owners of houses that are conjoined, be they semi-detached or terraced, etc., where one has received a determination but the other attached dwelling has yet to meet the scheme's damage threshold. This amendment will help speed up the process for the other dwelling to be assessed for determination of the option grant amount and then if both owners desire, they can go ahead and remediate their homes at the same time. It is a flexible measure that, once again, shows how responsive the Government is to the genuine needs of homeowners. A lot of work has been put in to bringing about these changes. Affected homeowners have put significant time and effort into working with my Department through the homeowners' liaison officer. I thank them for their work, which has shaped this scheme and helped to improve the scheme for all impacted homeowners. I also pay tribute to the homeowners and their representatives who have engaged with the process through various channels, including the public consultation for the draft IS 465 standard, which yielded in excess of 640 submissions. Ireland's official standards body, the National Standards Authority of Ireland, has been tasked with the review of the national standard IS 465. It expects the revision of IS 465 to conclude in the first quarter of 2026. This updated standard will provide further reassurances to homeowners affected by defective concrete blocks. The Department stands ready to ensure the scheme reflects the results of this process and indeed is ready to initiate the review that this new standard will require. In addition, I acknowledge colleagues in this House from the impacted counties who have been tireless advocates, both publicly and, more often, behind the scenes, to press the case for the impacted homeowners not just over the past year but over several years. Many have alluded to this. Their hard work, commitment and dedication have been commendable. The scheme is delivering for many homeowners in affected counties and the challenge now proposed will represent a step forward in ensuring that everybody is fairly dealt with in terms of support. The Bill is by no means the end of the defective blocks journey for anyone involved, least of all this Government. It is a staging post that provides a timely opportunity to intervene and respond to developments over the past few years. Such opportunities will no doubt arise and will be needed again. My colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, referred to the fact that our Department is preparing to launch a review of the Act in its entirety next year, including the changes made by this Bill. This intersects both with the review of the IS 465 national standard and the three-year anniversary of the commencement of the current scheme. I have listened carefully and with genuine interest to the contributions made by Members during these discussions. I thank them on my own behalf and that of the Minister, Deputy James Browne for their contributions and general support for the Bill. The contributions clearly indicated the importance of measures proposed in the amendment Bill. I very much welcome the broad support for the content of the Bill. We will work with all sides of the House to ensure prompt enactment. I thank Members for all their attention and contributions today and look forward to further engagement on Committee Stage.

Sentiment score: 0.20