Mr Robinson said,
"I'm delighted that after a painstaking and frustrating delay, a cladding scheme that will address Non-ACM (Aluminium Composite Material) cladded buildings has been announced for Northern Ireland.
Post Grenfell, issues have been raised with almost 500 apartments in East Belfast. Whilst NI received the funds to remediate the works, there was no scheme to advance the application and initial hopes of the Housing Executive being able to do so faltered.
Thanks to DfC officials and their counterparts in Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, Homes England will now manage the scheme for NI and I am grateful for their efforts over the last two years.
The scheme will come as a huge relief for scores of homeowners who have struggled to re-mortgage or sell and faced the prospect of a remediation bill of up to £25,000.
Whilst the application process will naturally take time, I know management companies have been diligently arranging their applications. With light at the end of the tunnel, this announcement reflects the benefit of dogged and determined efforts to get the job done.”