merrion street

Local Government Minister Phil Hogan today welcomed the announcement by Finance Minister Michael Noonan that householders with homes suffering from pyritic heave will receive a waiver from the Local Property Tax.

I lobbied my colleague the Minister for Finance to provide a waiver for the owners of properties where damage from pyritic heave has been proved by testing and I am glad that he has acceded to my request and he will address this issue in the context of the Finance Bill.

...he said.

The Minister established the Pyrite Panel in September 2011 with the remit of exploring options for a solution to the problem of pyrite in private housing.

Last July the Minister published the final report of the Panel. The report contained 24 recommendations and provided the various stakeholders with a roadmap to make progress towards rapidly resolving this difficult problem.

Given their particular impact on affected homeowners, priority is being given to the recommendations dealing with the establishment of a Resolution Board as well as the development of protocols for the testing and categorisation of dwellings and a remediation method statement

The Minister concluded:

Affected homeowners have been waiting to get a resolution to this complex problem. This announcement today of where a waiver would apply in respect of pyritic heave is only one component of the complex process in providing for a solution to the pyrite issue. I have already announced that I will be establishing a Pyrite Resolution Board and I will be bringing further proposals to Government in this regard shortly. I have made it clear that I will do what is necessary to ensure that those responsible stakeholders provide for effective solutions for affected homeowners.

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