1874. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if it can be ensured that defective concrete block grants are paid in a timely manner to avoid delays in works being completed by contractors. [58998/26]

The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 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).

A number of amendments contained in the 2025 Act came into operation on 25 February 2026 and more recently further provisions commenced on 27 May 2026.

Local authorities have responsibility for the detailed administration of the scheme. This includes the initial validation of applications, notifying homeowners of the Housing Agency's determinations on damage threshold, the appropriate remediation option and grant amount, determination of the grant payable for alternative accommodation and storage costs and immediate repair works and the subsequent payment of grants to successful applicants.

My Department engages regularly with local authorities on the effective and efficient administration of the scheme and encourages local authorities to be as flexible as possible while remaining within the 2022 Act and 2023 Regulations regarding the payment of claims to scheme applicants. It is incumbent on local authorities to ensure the veracity of any claims received and while processing them in a timely manner they must also ensure compliance with their own financial procedures for the making of payments.