GOVERNMENT TO ALLOW for side-by-side building in some cases, as amended defective blocks bill goes to Cabinet.

Minister for Housing James Browne will seek cabinet approval today to publish the ‘Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks’
(Amendment) Bill 2025.

Several thousand homes, many in Donegal but also in counties Mayo, Clare, Limerick, and Sligo, among others, have been affected by the crisis. 

Homeowners saw concrete blocks that were used to build their homes begin to crumble due to the presence of muscovite mica, which cause the homes to crack and crumble.

In June 2025, the Government approved the Amendment Bill 2025 as a basis for priority legal drafting to provide retrospective payments for certain applicants to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.  

Earlier this month Donegal Daily reported that 100% Redress TD Charles Ward expressed concern that the amendment had “serious flaws” – in particular because it did not contain provision for side-by-side building.

Speaking to The Journal he previously stressed the importance of allowing families to build a new home side-by-side to their old house without needing to first demolish their existing home.

He gave the example of families who have adaptations made to their homes for family members with additional needs. 

He said these families have, to date, been left in an unfair situation as they have not been able to find suitable accommodation to live in while they build their new home. 

Due to this, a further amendment to the bill will be proposed at committee stage to allow the construction of adjacent dwellings in limited circumstances.

Today’s bill

Today’s bill will allow relevant owners to make an application for an increase to their remediation grant where the homeowner received their original determination before 23 October 2024.

The period to complete works will also be extended from 65 weeks to 130 weeks, and the number of weeks required to seek an extension will be reduced from 12 weeks to two weeks.

The Bill will allow homeowners to seek a review of their application, which may result in a new grant amount and determination.

The current legislation doesn’t let a person become a ‘relevant owner’ if they were in a relationship with a relevant owner. One of the amendments being brought will change this for married couples, those in a civil partnership or co-habiting.