Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank both delegations for attending and for their presentations. It is important to make sure people are safe in their homes and to protect businesses and those who are registered and working legally. If 30,000 boilers have been installed and 12,000 certificates are returned, that means the other 18,000 are installed by unregistered gas installers. If there were only ten or 11 prosecutions over recent years, that is worrying. While this does not involve 18,000 individual installers, there is a crossover. What is the CER's policing system? If it is able to undertake audits and inspections of registered installers, how does it address the issue of those who are unregistered? I assume its staff cannot knock on someone's door and ask him or her whether they can see the boiler and ask them to produce the certificate.

When people are prosecuted, is there a follow-up to ensure they are either registered or not trading? What information is needed for conviction? Is it a lack of information that is preventing the CER from securing convictions? Does the policing system rely solely on communication given the CER cannot audit people who are not registered?