Browne commences further provisions of defective concrete blocks remediation law

S.I. No. 501 of 2026 commences further provisions of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025, extending the statutory remediation framework for homeowners whose dwellings were built with defective concrete blocks. The order was made by James Browne, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 1(2) of that Act (No. 20 of 2025). It is published in Iris Oifigiúil No. 79 of Friday, 2 October 2026.

The instrument is formally titled the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025 (Commencement) (No. 3) Order 2026, and is dated 29 September 2026. Its “(No. 3)” designation identifies it as the third commencement order made under the 2025 Amendment Act, the statute that amends the principal remediation legislation governing State support for households affected by defective concrete blocks.

What the order does

• Commences further provisions of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025 (No. 20 of 2025).
• Is made under section 1(2) of that Act, the power by which the Minister brings provisions of the legislation into operation.
• Was signed by John Callinan, Secretary General to the Government, and dated 29 September 2026.
• Is published in Iris Oifigiúil No. 79 of 2 October 2026 at reference [G-9], priced at €1.50.

Who is affected

The remediation scheme addresses dwellings damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks in the counties worst affected by the problem — Donegal, Mayo, Clare and Limerick — where homeowners have sought State support for demolition and rebuilding or for remedial works to their homes. The commencement of further provisions of the 2025 Amendment Act brings additional elements of the amended scheme into legal effect for those applicants.

Because the notice published in the gazette announces the making of the order rather than reproducing its text, the operative provisions are those of the 2025 Amendment Act itself, as commenced by this instrument. Homeowners and their representatives will therefore read S.I. No. 501 of 2026 together with the Act it commences.

Publication and availability

The order appears in the statutory instruments section of Iris Oifigiúil, the official gazette published by authority, in its issue No. 79 of 2 October 2026. Copies may be purchased from Government Publications, Mountshannon Road, Kilmainham, Dublin, D08 XA06, by telephone on 046 942 3100 or by email at publications@opw.ie, and through any bookseller.

The same issue of the gazette carries other statutory instruments, including S.I. No. 500 of 2026, the Planning and Development (Short Term Letting – Planning and Development Act 2000) (Change of Use) Regulations 2026, made by the same Minister, and S.I. No. 499 of 2026, the European Union (Restrictive Measures Concerning Ukraine) (No.12) Regulations 2026.

Why it matters

A commencement order is the mechanism that turns provisions passed by the Oireachtas into operative law; until it is made, the amendments do not take effect. For households in the designated counties awaiting remediation, the publication of S.I. No. 501 of 2026 is the point at which the further provisions of the 2025 Amendment Act enter the statute book in force, and it fixes the legal basis on which claims and works under the amended scheme will be assessed.

Source: Iris Oifigiúil, No. 79, 2 October 2026, section I (official reference: S.I. No. 501 of 2026).