1675. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether a homeowner who paid engineers’ fees under the original defective concrete blocks grant scheme, and who has since died, may have those fees reimbursed through the enhanced scheme by way of a claim submitted by the executor or personal representative of the estate; if so, the process that applies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56334/26]

The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (2022 Act) as amended by the Act of 2025 underpins the Grant Scheme which provides grant funding to people whose homes have been affected by Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB).

Section 24 of the 2022 Act deals with change of relevant owner where a relevant owner of a dwelling dies after their application to the scheme has been validated by the designated local authority.

Once the designated local authority is satisfied that the person who inherits the dwelling is entitled to own the relevant dwelling because of the death of the relevant owner, that person is considered to be a relevant owner for the purposes of the Act.

The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Regulations 2026 contain the mechanism to allow certain transitional applicants who engaged a competent engineer to complete an engineer’s report and made an application to the previous scheme to apply to the designated local authority for the reimbursement of the cost of an engineer’s report.

The detailed operation of the Scheme is a matter for the designated local authorities and queries of this nature should be addressed to them in the first instance.