Mr. James Egan:

The CER is responsible for putting in place a comprehensive system of safety. The law states a certificate must be returned for each job done. Resources are not the issue. The people paying for this - this is a big issue for us and an insult in many ways - are the installers. Not only have we paid for it, but we have also paid for a sinking fund. The number of inspectors in Northern Ireland for 2,000 installers is one. He looks after all 2,000 people by himself. He also tackles the illegal market and has relationships with suppliers. If he gets an inkling that somebody is operating in the black market, he calls to his or her house, knocks on the door, marks his or her card, states he has heard that he or she has carried out illegal work and that he is watching. He will get somebody to sit outside overnight if he thinks it is necessary and the person to register. There is no willingness to do anything like that here. In the Republic there are eight inspectors for 2,775 installers. The inspectors concentrate on registered gas installers. They visit each installer once a year and the average number of inspections is 1.6 per day. The average cost of an inspection is €480 to the installer and inspections take approximately 30 minutes.

The commissioner spoke about confidence in the system. We have conducted a survey and there is no confidence in the system. If the intent is to have confidence in the system, there is none. How can 100,000 boilers be installed without certificates if the system is working satisfactorily? It is nonsense.