Government moves Dáil motion to approve 2026 defective concrete blocks social housing scheme

The Minister for Housing has moved a Dáil motion to approve the draft Defective Concrete Blocks Social Homes Scheme 2026.

The draft scheme, laid before Dáil Éireann in August 2026, allows designated local authorities and approved housing bodies to begin works to remediate social homes damaged by defective concrete blocks. Under Section 36 of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022, social housing will be subject to the same remediation options, damage threshold requirements, grant caps, and grant rates as the existing private homeowner scheme.

Unlike the private scheme, the Housing Agency will not undertake technical assessments for social housing. Instead, local authorities and approved housing bodies will directly arrange building condition assessment reports, engage competent engineers under the IS 465:2026 standard, and procure contractors for remediation works. Costs will be recouped directly from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Local authorities and approved housing bodies will also be required to rehouse tenants where necessary during remediation works, supported by an ancillary grant capped at €16,500.

According to figures outlined by the Minister, an estimated 2,400 social housing units are expected to require remediation, with an estimated average cost of €300,000 per unit, bringing the projected cost of the social scheme to approximately €728 million excluding inflation. Revised estimates from the County and City Management Association and the Irish Council for Social Housing place the combined private and social scheme costs at €3.1 billion.

The private scheme currently covers nine administrative areas: Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Limerick, Sligo, and parts of Wexford, Fingal, and Meath. As of the end of August 2026, 604 private homes had been remediated, with commencement notices submitted for an additional 794 dwellings.