DCB Amendment Act brings cap increase, more time and more funding per square metre

Donegal County Council acknowledges the enactment of the DCB Amendment Act and the Dwellings Damaged by Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Increased Grant) Regulations 2026.

The Council says the legislation follows on from the considerable effort by many stakeholders, including Elected Members and Members of the Oireachtas.

Whilst there are several amendments contained in the DCB Amendment Act, the (Increased Grant) Regulations bring into operation two key amendments to the existing legislation:

1. To provide for an application for an increase in the amount of a grant for remediation of certain dwellings damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks.

2. To amend the time limit for the payment of a grant for remediation.

The amendments will further assist homeowners who have been impacted and affected by the presence of deleterious materials to remediate their homes.

The Council says it has undertaken significant work preparing for the implementation of the Amendments, and the Online Portal is currently being updated to reflect that.

Donegal County Council has over 77 per cent of all applications to the Enhanced Scheme within its Administrative Area.

Given the volume of applications, the implementation of retrospection is likely to take a period of time to complete. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritise the various cohorts of applications to which retrospection is applicable.

This prioritisation is a similar approach to that adopted by the Council at the commencement of the Enhanced Scheme.

There will be three cohorts of applications:

Priority 1 - Applicants who have completed Remediation Work post 29 March 2024 and have received their Final Payment. This cohort of applicants will have expended the available Grant Amount and therefore will be Priority 1 for the Increased Grant Amount, where applicable.

Priority 2 - Applicants with Remediation Work underway and currently on site. This cohort of applicants benefits from continued access to their existing Grant Amount and, therefore, are Priority 2.

Priority 3 - Applicants who have received a Grant Amount but have yet to commence works/notify the Council of their commencement. This cohort of applicants is yet to commence Remediation Works and, upon commencement, will benefit from access to their existing Grant Amount and therefore are Priority 3.

As per the legislation, which has just been published, applicants who may be eligible for an Increased Remediation Option Grant will be required to apply for this increase.

A dedicated tile entitled “Apply for Increase to Remediation Option Grant” will be available on the Online Portal for applicants in Priority 1 Group.

Applicants will be required to upload evidence of qualifying expenditure, i.e. invoices with qualifying expenditure (both Remedial Works and Professional Fees). The dedicated tile will become available once system development and final testing has been completed.

As and when the tile becomes available for other priority groupings, this will be communicated to applicants.

Once the Council receives an application for an Increased Remediation Option Grant, the Council will determine if the applicant:

1. Received their original determination prior to 23 October 2024 and has evidence of qualifying expenditure.

2. Incurred qualifying expenditure since 29 March 2024 that was unpaid due to them reaching the maximum cap of their approved remediation option grant.

‘Qualifying expenditure’ means expenditure, in carrying out works to satisfy the approved remediation option, incurred by the relevant owner after the date of the notification of grant amount and determination, but not earlier than 29 March 2024.

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Following assessment, the Council will notify the applicant of the decision on the application for an Increased Remediation Option Grant and of any applicable Increased Remediation Option Grant.

Grant rates payable per square metre will rise by approximately 7.4 – 8.7 per cent, depending on the remediation option. The Scheme Cap will rise by 10% to €462,000 from the current €420,000.

Approved applicants will then be required to submit a payment claim, as per the legislation, for the qualifying expenditure for which they wish to seek reimbursement. This claim can be submitted via the Online Portal. Please note, Retrospection does not apply to Ancillary Grant rates.

The Council is appealing for patience with the amended scheme.

“Council staff are currently familiarising themselves with the guidelines just received, and the Council appreciates homeowners’ continued patience and understanding as staff manage this heightened workload, during the initial implementation period,” a DCC spokesperson said.

“Please bear in mind that, in the early stages of implementing the amendments, the Council will be receiving a high volume of calls and queries.”

Applicants are respectfully requested to review all relevant information on the Council’s website, on the Online Portal and to reach out to the Community Facilitators, if required.

Please see full information at the following link: https://www.donegalcoco.ie/en/services/housing/defective-concrete-blocks/dcb-amendment-act/