Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the APHCI and the CER for coming here today. Deputy Dessie Ellis has a number of specific questions he wishes to ask so I will brief.

There have been 100,000 illegal boilers installed since June 2009. There may be some disagreement over the figures, but that figure is frightening. Mr Giffney describes it as the gravity of the situation facing the gas industry. I am concerned about that but I am more concerned about the gravity of the situation facing the public. If there have been 100,000 illegal boilers installed since 2009, this means that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people illegally installing boilers.

I recently met Paul Duffy, who I believe is a member of the APHCI, and he took me around one housing estate. I am not an installer or a plumber, but it was obvious, even to the layman's eye, that some work had been carried out externally.

The dynamics that are at play here are, first of all, legislation. There have been roughly 100,000 illegal installations, yet only 45 cases have been taken. This indicates that there is something wrong, either with the legislation or the implementation of the legislation. As legislators, we need to determine why this is.

Obviously the costs of it will be an issue as well because if there are more inspectors needed, this will cost the public more. I am conscious that all I saw was the external work that had been done. I did not see, nor would I be qualified to comment on, the hidden work that had been done, for example, the pipes that would be in concrete and rubber coating. I am not aware if those kinds of things are being inspected.

What is of biggest concern to me is that the focus appears to be on registered installers while the legislation may not be strong enough in relation to unregistered installers. There is much work going on in looking at the work of the registered installers but there does not seem to be much work going on in relation to the unregistered installers. That, in my view, is the gap that exists. Does the CER agree with that analysis?

The APHCI has suggested that there should be an independent review of our system in Ireland. Can its representatives present give international examples of best practice in terms of regulation of the gas industry? Can it suggest a country that might provide a good model for regulation?