I thank Deputy Gallagher for raising this issue in the House. He represents a constituency and county that was very badly impacted by defective blocks. He has championed and represented the people in his constituency for many years, fought for the remediation scheme and continuously fought for the side-by-side construction amendment. The good news is that the regulations on side-by-side construction are in the final stages of drafting. We should see the completion of the drafting of the amendments within the coming weeks, after which they can be implemented. As the Deputy is aware, the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 was initiated in Dáil Éireann on 2 December 2025, passed in both Houses of the Oireachtas and subsequently signed into law by the President, thereby becoming an Act, on 23 December 2025. A number of amendments came into operation on 25 February 2026, with related regulations also adopted on the same date. These changes provided that the increase in the grant scheme cap and rates from October and November 2024 can retrospectively benefit certain homeowners and they extended the period that applicants have for completed work from 65 to 130 weeks, along with reducing the time within which an applicant may apply for an extension from 12 to two weeks. The second set of regulations is currently at an advanced stage of drafting in relation to additional scheme improvements contained in the 2025 Act. These include the amendment that provides for an application for an adjacent remediation option in particular circumstances. Those are the ones Deputy Gallagher outlined so well. It became apparent that certain relevant owners who had received an option 1 demolition determination from the Housing Agency and who previously had their homes specifically adapted for use by persons with a disability were facing severe difficulties in finding suitable alternative accommodation that met their specialised requirements. The 2025 Act and forthcoming regulations will provide a possible remedy to this situation. Where the approved remediation option is the demolition of the relevant dwelling and its reconstruction, a relevant owner may be able to avail of funding under the scheme for the building of a home adjacent to the existing dwelling. Relevant owners can apply to the designated local authority for approval to construct a new dwelling in the curtilage of the relevant dwelling to replace the approved remediation option, subject to certain eligibility conditions. As this provision is an exemption from the normal rules of the scheme, which is fundamentally a scheme to remediate existing homes, the Deputy will appreciate that consideration had to be given to its drafting. This has meant some additional time was required to finalise the regulations. Local authorities have responsibility for the administration of the scheme and will process the applications. On the Deputy’s point and question, we are in the very final stages of drafting the regulations. Drafting will be within the next couple of weeks, after which implementation can proceed.

Sentiment score: 0.12

I thank Deputy Gallagher again. I absolutely take his point and I appreciate the urgency of this. The families and constituents the Deputy represents right across the board have been severely impacted by defective blocks. They have had their lives turned upside down and have experienced significant upheaval. Regarding the amendment we are talking about and the regulations we are introducing on side-by-side construction, there is another layer of complexity and difficulty when it comes to those who may have had their houses formally adapted for mobility and the fact that it is not as straightforward as upping sticks and going to another home that is not adapted, as the Deputy quite rightly outlined. The latter is just not a possibility, which is why we agreed recently to introduce the amendment to change the existing arrangement. However, there are complexities. Drafting was not straightforward and simple. It is not something that can be done overnight. However, I absolutely take the Deputy’s point that there is urgency. The Deputy wants to be able to go back to constituents in Donegal and say that what he is requesting is happening. However, I am here with good news: the regulations are in the very final stages. I cannot give an exact date as that would be unfair, but within the next few weeks the regulations should be signed by the Minister and, therefore, implemented. I sincerely hope this is the last time the Deputy has to raise this in the Chamber. I cannot give a date but the regulations are in the final stages.

Sentiment score: 0.07