The Department of Housing is set to offer downgraded homeowners a full review of their remediation options in the Defective Concrete Block (DCB) Scheme.
The change, announced today, was prompted by the latest scientific findings on the cause of crumbling homes in Donegal. Experts have claimed that the underlying mechanism of damage is as a result of Internal Sulfate Attack due to presence of excessive amounts of pyrrhotite.
Up until now, the DCB scheme was based on the I.S.465. standard, set back in 2017, which laid out mica and freeze-thaw as the cause of damaged blocks.
But Scientist Dr. Andreas Leemann from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials and Science Technology has stated that the best solution for the heavily affected homes is total demolition. Dr Leeman is part of an international research project being managed by Geological Survey Ireland.
From today, all homeowners who have been given a non-demolition option (option 2 to 5) will be offered a choice of continuing with the work on their dwelling under the option determined or the option of a full technical review of their application by the Housing Agency.
“This review will be informed by the current research once the full review of the national standard (IS465) is complete,” the Department of Housing said.
“If homeowners choose to continue with their works they continue to avail of the 40-year government guarantee. Homeowners who receive an option 1 (demolition) will be unaffected by the changes announced today.”
“The department and the Minister have consistently said that standard I.S 465 needed to be reviewed, and in line with the government decision requested the NSAI (as the lead authority) to conduct a number of reviews of relevant national standards one of which is I.S.465.”
A group of homeowners from Donegal staged a protest at the Department of Housing’s headquarters in Dublin today over the downgrading of remediation grants. Their aim was to challenge the Housing Agency’s failure to consider pyrrhotite in its assessments, despite GSI-commissioned scientific research.
The Department of Housing said they are acting on the research findings that have come to light “in recent days”, and that Minister O’Brien will also ask the Expert Group under the Chair of Paul Forde to examine all the research completed to date and to provide advice as to the implications to the grant scheme of this research. Furthermore, advice will be sought on any potential changes that could be made to the scheme’s Ministerial Guidelines in advance of the revised I.S. 465 standard.
The statement concluded: “The Department of Housing continues to take the lead on engaging with the NSAI who will require time to assess this research and input that assessment to their ongoing review of the relevant national standard- I.S. 465. The department are eager that this progresses as quickly as possible.”
