It is good to be back in the Dáil Chamber. I wish to raise the issue of mica and pyrite. At the moment, there are people coming to us in Limerick complaining of defective blocks. A working group has been established that is currently doing work with residents in County Donegal. I have requested that Limerick City and County Council make a submission to include Limerick under the defective block scheme, which covers both mica and pyrite. When will that working group conclude its deliberations? When will agreement be reached with the residents of County Donegal? More particularly, when Limerick residents become eligible for the scheme, will the same conditions apply as will apply in respect of the agreement the working group has with the residents of counties Donegal and Mayo, who are currently part the scheme? I refer to pyrite and defective blocks.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been engaging with the working group in respect of developing a scheme. As that group has been meeting, other areas of the country have also signalled potential issues. As the Deputy will be aware, a submission from Clare County Council arrived in the Department at the end of July. That is being reviewed. He will be aware of the Limerick interest at this stage as well. All areas where this manifests itself will get consideration. It is hoped that these discussions can be brought to a conclusion relatively quickly.