Green TD and Chair of the Oireachtas Housing Committee – Steven Matthews has welcomed the opening of the Interim Remediation Scheme for apartment owners impacted by fire safety issues in units built between 1991 and 2013. The Interim Fire Safety Measures Scheme will fully-fund fire alarm upgrades or replacements as well as ensuring that escape routes are safe, adequately lit, and free of obstacles. The costs of conducting an initial fire safety assessment and managing the process will also be covered.
“As Chair of the Housing Committee, I have engaged extensively with representative groups and families impacted and it is very positive to see this coming to fruition after significant consultation. I have spoken with a number of families from Wicklow that have been impacted including many that had relatives that moved to various parts of Dublin and they have faced huge challenges in recent years related to the fire safety problems in their homes.
“The level of stress and worry that this has caused residents cannot be underestimated and some of the stories have been truly heart-breaking and is one of the worst remaining legacies of poor building construction control during the Celtic Tiger.
“It is intended that a whole building approach will be taken to remediate relevant defects and to improve the safety of all occupants in the building rather than individual apartment owners applying. The Scheme will be administered by the Housing Agency and opened for applications from Owners' Management Companies (OMCs) on December 11th.
“I further welcome the Minister’s commitment that this scheme is just an interim step in advance of full remedial works, which will include all necessary fire safety measures and structural damage, which will be funded under a statutory scheme that will be legislated for next year, concluded Deputy Matthews.
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