Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a number of things I would like to raise. I do not question the bona fidesof the Bill in any shape or form although I disagree with most of it. In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett's question, Mr. Cantwell said inspection and the absence of qualified clerks of works on building sites was a main contributory factor to defective work and non-compliance with building regulations during the boom. During the boom time many of the problems came to fruition and we are now dealing with the consequences of that with regard to a number of standards we have had to rightly bring forward. Under the Building Control Act 2007, local authority building inspectors do not have to be registered as assigned certifiers do. That is staggering to me. It is something that would have to be included in the Bill. It would have to be changed in the Bill. I have a real fear around the liability it would incur in local authorities. I have a real fear around the one-stop shop. I do not think it has been thought through properly. In my local authority in Dún Laoghaire any appointments that have been asked for in the Department on the delivery of housing have been sanctioned. I do not see taking on staff being a problem in the delivery of housing but it has to be independently certified. We need to go back to the original status where the clerk of works was involved.

As Mr. Cantwell said, due to the many specialties that exist under the “clerk of works” umbrella, in his statement:

Clerk of works are employed on major construction projects throughout the country. Some are directly employed by the client, local authorities, health boards, the Department of Education and Skills and other agencies while others are employed directly by architects and consultants.

If we want to amend the Bill in any shape or form or send it back to the drawing board, we must address the question of independent assessment and certification, and ensure there are no consequences for the standard of building and development, be those projects retrofits or new builds. People must be able to move into or purchase a property knowing that it has been built to the highest possible modern standard as opposed to the standard of some of the buildings built during the boom when we did not have proper regulation.

I have grave concerns about the Bill, although I understand its intent and acknowledge its bona fides. I will explore the Bill further.

Does anyone among the witnesses wish to respond to my comments?