Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue; in fairness to him, he raises it on an ongoing and, quite rightly, intense basis. The pace at which the defective concrete blocks scheme is operating has clearly accelerated over the past two years. More than €155 million was spent in 2025. This compares to just under €60 million in 2024. As the scheme ramps up, additional funding will be provided as required. The overall cost of the scheme is expected to be in excess of €2.2 billion. That excludes inflation, which has become a very topical issue. We are working to make sure the scheme is designed and delivered in a manner that meets the real needs of homeowners in an efficient and effective way. That work is ongoing.
The Deputy raised quite a few issues so I will go through them. I am being honest - the Deputy represents Donegal but from any of my visits to Donegal I always leave with the clear impression that there are going to be issues outside of the scheme that need to be addressed. That is just a statement of fact. Specifically in relation to schools, the Department of Education and Youth has said it will work with schools impacted by mica. My understanding is it is aware of 16 schools all based in County Donegal, which have submitted emergency works applications for funding related to testing for the presence of mica. The Deputy might have better information than me but that is what I have been told. The Department is working through a mica strategy for schools, which it will develop this year. This will involve adopting a programme approach to the issue but will provide a pathway for schools currently waiting on remediation of mica issues and any schools affected into the future. I am told it is doing this in partnership with Donegal Education and Training Board. As part of this programme approach, an assessment will be done on overall accommodation requirements in each of the relevant areas to determine what scale of accommodation is required over the medium to long term to cater for local demographics. The Department will undertake site visits during the current school year to further inform that remediation approach. More broadly the Department has provided €225.65 million in capital funding for Donegal schools since 2020.
On childcare which the Deputy has raised with me in the House before, as it relates to mica, Letterkenny Community Childcare was approved for a building blocks grant of €750,000 in May last year. I am familiar with Raphoe Community Playgroup. I accept collective responsibility for this but I am irked we have not found a way forward yet. It received funding in 2025 to procure an external expert to assess relocation options. It was approved for further sustainability funding to cover rental costs for a temporary premises for 2025 and 2026. I know it applied for the building blocks grant scheme. I think those criteria need to be looked at. It engaged in good faith and the criteria did not allow that application to progress. I was told very recently that it is now through the County Donegal childcare committee in contact about the State-led childcare programme. Perhaps that could be a way of making an intervention. TDs and Senators in Donegal work on this together. The State-led programme might be an area worth having an engagement with the Department of children and the Minister on. It might be an opportunity to try to rectify some of these issues.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-26