Defective Building Materials

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 October 2023

Wednesday, 4 October 2023

Questions (146)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Question:

146. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views in response to the confirmation from a person (details supplied) speaking at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform on Wednesday 27 September 2023 that mortgages can only be issued for a home built to current building regulations; the reason the enhanced defective concrete block grant scheme only provides grant aid for homeowners to remediate or rebuild their homes to previous building regulations that are out of date and that are not mortgageable or re-mortgageable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43128/23]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

I am aware of recent views expressed by the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI) at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform on 27 September, 2023. 

The BPFI advised the committee that only homes remediated to current building regulations would be mortgageable in the future.

Officials from my Department met with the BPFI on 28 September, 2023. Banks are now in the process of clarifying their position on this issue. My understanding is that once a home has been certified as being remediated under the Scheme that it will be viewed by banks in the same way as other properties and therefore homes will not be required to be remediated to current building regulations.