Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that, but I know that sometimes it is difficult to get agreement. Our job is to ensure that the best standard is set out for all of this. Regardless of whether there is agreement, we should encourage the NSAI and others to try to get that as quickly as possible before we go through another large phase of house building.

Even though I am not that old, I remember when Qual-PEX was not the standard material for domestic use in Ireland. Qual-PEX is a flexible pipe made of plastic. Previously all domestic pipes were of copper. Copper is dearer and not as pliable and is in short supply worldwide. There are many standards - asbestos was a standard years ago. Lead is still a standard because nobody has decided to remove lead from thousands of houses in this city.

There was reference to Irish Water having the right to instruct householders to fix problems in their houses relating to the water system. I know of tens of thousands of houses in this city that have within them - not outside, which is the responsibility of the city council or Irish Water - a health hazard as we speak, never mind what the petitioner has argued in terms of the lead within their system, because they are going through lead piping that can be 50 or 60 years old.

The standard we set in Ireland, as we have done previously, is often out step with the European standard. Sometimes they are catching up with us and sometimes we are catching up with them. I have talked to electricians who have said that the standard in Ireland is higher than in many other European countries. I do not know; I am not an electrician. All I want to know is that Ireland has a set standard to ensure the greatest protection for the ordinary Joe or Josephine who buys or rents a house to ensure that the water they are getting in their tap is fit for use. The quicker that is done, the better.

If the NSAI introduces a standard now, would it be retrospective? That may be a question for the Minister. If it is retrospective, it means a retrofit. So we are setting new standards for insulation. The Government is giving grants for retrofit.

I have one more question for the Department.