Defective Building Materials
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-25
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Christopher O'Sullivan (FF), Cork South-West

I thank Deputy Cooney for representing the people of his constituency in Clare who have been affected by this issue. I appreciate the issue of defective concrete blocks is particularly emotive for households and sympathise with all who are caught up in this distressing situation.
The establishment of the appeals board was an important step in offering those affected by decisions made by the Housing Agency and local authorities an opportunity to have their cases assessed by an independent group of industry experts. The chair of the panel and the rest of the panel members have undertaken to examine each case thoroughly. It should be noted that the appeals panel is statutorily independent in the performance of its functions of the senior Minister, Deputy Browne, the Department of housing and the Housing Agency. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provides administrative support during the initial stage of the process, in that appeals submitted by homeowners are forwarded to the panel. Recently, in recognition of the challenges facing the panel, the Department provided additional funding for the engagement of a direct staffing resource to work directly with the appeals panel chair. I understand this is now beginning to pay dividends, as evidenced by the recent issue of determinations by the panel.
The powers granted to the appeals panel are outlined in legislation under section 39(10) of the Act. The appeals panel may either affirm the decision that is the subject of the appeal, or annul it. In the case of an annulment, if the appeals board considers the Housing Agency has made a serious error in law or fact that amounts to a serious or significant error, it can direct the Housing Agency to reconsider its decision in accordance with such directions as the appeals board may consider appropriate, or replace the decision with such other decisions as it considers it appropriate to make in accordance with the Act.
Like in any appeals process, there is a continued focus on the further roll-out of determinations. Importantly, in line with statutory commitments, the panel operates within the legislation. The chair and panel must be allowed to continue their work. There is no role under statute for the Minister, Deputy Browne, or me as Minister of State in this regard. We hope that continued engagement with appellants will take place with a view to properly assessing appeals so those who still suffer the awful weight of their experiences can be satisfied. We are aware of the urgency of this work and I recognise the vulnerability of a particular group of homeowners. It is an absolute priority for the Department. It is my understanding that in recent weeks a number of determinations have been issued to homeowners and I expect this process to continue to accelerate as the appeals panel continues its work.
The main point is that we have to, at all points, respect the independence of the appeals board. It cannot be under any influence in any way, shape or form from the senior Minister or the Department. However, I take the Deputy's point. He is seeking pretty important and basic information in the specific details he has asked for. I will go back from this discussion to find out if we can get access to any of that information, as long as it does not unduly influence any of the decisions. I do not see why we cannot make that request and get some of the specific answers the Deputy looked for in his opening contribution.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-25