Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government, James Browne TD, has secured Cabinet approval to extend the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme to include retrospective payments.

The move will allow homeowners who have incurred eligible expenses since 29 March 2024 to access the increased grant levels announced late last year.

The Government raised the maximum grant available under the scheme in October 2024 by 10%, from €420,000 to €462,000. Additionally, per square metre rates used to calculate grant amounts were increased by between 7.4% and 8.7% in November 2024. However, these enhancements currently apply only to homeowners who have not yet received a formal determination on remediation options and grant amounts.

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Under the new measures proposed by Minister Browne, those who have already received such determinations—but have faced rising construction costs—will now be entitled to apply for the higher financial support.

Minister Browne said: "I made it a priority to visit the north west and met with some of the homeowners impacted by the use of defective concrete blocks in the construction of their homes, as well as advocacy groups and local representatives.

"I witnessed at first-hand the difficulties faced by these affected households in financial and personal terms in recent years. The improvements I am introducing today will secure fairness, ensuring every eligible homeowner can now access the improved financial support from the Government, irrespective of their original remediation and grant determination date. It had to be sorted."

Legislation to implement these changes will be prioritised and include further amendments aimed at improving the operation of the scheme. These include:

• Side-by-side construction: In exceptional cases, homeowners will be allowed to construct a new home adjacent to their original defective property, with scheme funding support.

• Extended time to complete works: The timeframe to complete remediation will double from 65 to 130 weeks. In addition, the notice period for applying for an extension will be reduced from 12 weeks to just 2 weeks.

The legislation is expected to proceed through the Oireachtas in the coming weeks.