Charles Ward: When will side-by-side rebuilds start?

Taoiseach, I have constantly raised side-by-side rebuilding under the Defective Concrete Scheme through amendments, a motion in the House and parliamentary questions and this is happening in people's homes right now. For many families, side-by-side building is the only workable way to rebuild while staying within their communities in Donegal. The government has indicated that it will be available in certain limited circumstances but those circumstances are not clear and the provision is not yet operational. Families still do not know how it will apply to them and uncertainty is causing real difficulty in planning and rebuilding and for families to actually move forward and I'm dealing with families directly and speaking to them every single day and these families cases are coming through my office where people are trying to understand and how they're meant to proceed. So there's a significant number that are affected and they are older homeowners and disabled homeowners and the side-by-side building is a way for them to move forward and the delays being put in place at the moment there's consequences for them and the rebuilds to move forward because it's time sensitive and it also avoids moving disabled and older people out of their communities when you can build in the same if they've got the land next to each other and move forward and proceed. So families remain on site there is no rental payments and there's no storage costs everything is there and it's fiscally responsible and it allows them to move on. I am dealing with a family in Kerry Keel with a child who's severely disabled and who currently are dealing with electrical issues with the house because the house is structurally unsound it's moving that child well she's 18 now next week is on an air mattress that when it goes it goes down she's prone to ulcers and back sores so her framework for her house cannot be bolted to the house because the house is not suitable so they are waiting to go the house is there that they're in but the house they're waiting to build is out in the garden we're waiting for approval we need approval and we're needing answers. So my question to you is when will this commence and when will it allow homeowners who have the space and the capacity to carry out side-by-side rebuilding to do so under the scheme and will it set out clearly when this will be operational? First of all could I say that the entire defective concrete block schemes has moved on a pace and I think that needs to be acknowledged as well over the last number of years and the 293 million has been provided this year alone for the remediation of homes affected by defects including pirate apartment defects and defective concrete blocks and the pace has accelerated in particular over the past two years 155 million spent in 2025 that compared to just under 60 million in 2024 and as the scheme ramps up more sufficient additional funding will be provided as required as you know the overall cost is estimated about 2.2 billion and we want to design that the scheme is designed as the government's commitment delivered in a manner that meets the real need of of homeowners in an efficient and effective manner currently over 3,000 homeowners are at various stages of the scheme and the the data is clear too that many are availing of it and that the grant rates which were set and increased in 2024 are based on expert advice are at a level to ensure that homeowners will get the money they need to put their homes right and that that the grant scheme follows the most up-to-date science which is particularly important and changes were made to the scheme late in 2024 to take account of the most recent research now a forthcoming bill the bill will make amendments to the grant scheme to allow changes to be implemented by the administrators of the grant scheme and that will allow grant rates and payments under the scheme to increase up to 10 percent and in in relation to the specific question I will engage with the minister in terms of what's the latest position on that but bear in mind that I think what you're suggesting is that a house would be built adjacent is it while the existing house has been repaired I mean I mean in special areas or right across the board do you have your response no I mean it's an important I mean the the scale and pace of this is growing enormously so I will talk to the minister and ask him to engage with you in terms of clarity on that specific point and where can particularly families that are under pressure with either disabilities or with wider range of issues With respect right there's 300 homes built in the last five years there's 3,000 people in the scheme currently trying to go through the scheme that are stuck in the scheme so families are waiting for the basic a side by side as you go into an acre of land you can have a house on one side and that's defective and the house and the other pull it down keep the family still in this house until this other house is rebuilt and then pull it down and move them over that's what we're waiting on that's what people are waiting on if their capacity is there to do it that family I'm talking about in Kerrykeel have a child with a severe disability that has basically been waiting to move for three years on the scheme and cannot get side by side waiting there's a reality going on here that this scheme is only at two percent capacity when it starts to move and it starts to to crank up we acknowledge the money's been spent but the money's been spent there's only 300 homes built 3,000 people caught in this scheme and thousands of more are currently waiting my colleagues in Donegal are all dealing with this and we know what's going on in the ground. I've spoken to people in Donegal and I've spoken to people public representatives who said there is real momentum in the scheme and don't give the exact same you're not it's not your question deputy Loughlin and which but just what I would say it is this scheme is look don't we know this is there's new new asks all of the time in relation to the scheme but we need to get on with it and get it delivered no we do and the legislation has changed expert advice has changed the science has changed government commitment is absolutely 100% in terms of delivering this scheme and 3,000 people are not trapped in the scheme they're engaged in the scheme and involved in the scheme at different stages