The new defective concrete blocks bill has been described as a missed opportunity to address many shortcomings in the existing remediation scheme.

This week, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage announced Government has approved a series of legislative amendments designed to improve supports for homeowners affected by defective concrete blocks.

But several homeowners are said be confused due to a lack clarity around exact percentage increases they can expect and there are fears that some will have to fork out tens of thousands of euro as the result of inflation.

Speaking in the Dail, Donegal Finn Fein TD Padraig MacLochlainn says the situation is cruel: