Mr. Peter Bluett:

We are trying to paint a whole industry with one brush but there are so many different segments. For clarity, we must distinguish between older buildings and the newer buildings which were built under the building control. There is a whole different set of items that must be looked at in relation to fire safety between those two. I will first focus on the older buildings. Older buildings do not have the same issues that one has with the building regulations but, for instance, with mould, one must open the window and let the air through. There are issues with fire safety.

These issues relate to the fact the building regulations may not be appropriate for those buildings and one may need to use guidance that is more appropriate for existing buildings. There are also issues with change of use in these buildings, which I have noted in the report.

With regard to the technical guidance document, we have two types of buildings. The technical guidance document is excellent and as an architect I have found the whole process very useful and helpful because it helps to guide us in the right direction. I call part B of the technical guidance document a 95% document because it has been designed to try to assist architects, designers and the building industry to build 95% of the building types we produce. These are the non-innovative type products. For most of our building types the technical guidance document is suitable and useful. The issue with specialist materials becomes the problem. We need to study these and work out whether they are suitable for purpose before they are used because they are not in the technical guidance document.

To go on to the Hackitt report, and the comparison between the UK and Ireland, there is another forum for this. We have a system here that is quite robust from the point of view of the technical guidance document. The fire safety certificate process is robust and very rigorous. One gets a fire safety certificate, which identifies as safe a building that is built in line with it. It then goes on site. The issues I find as a practitioner are down to quality control, trying to get the right products, not having replacement of products and ensuring the people building it understand what they are building. There are training processes that need to be put in place with regard to the people applying all of these products. This comes back to the Construction Industry Register Ireland, CIRI, the qualification of the building contractor and CIRI's processes and controls with regard to the construction.

People think building is simple but it is not. The building process is complex. It needs a lot of learning and study. We cannot just send in someone to build a wall and hope it works. The person must understand what is being built. The example of the fire in Kildare was given. Someone putting in a panel must understand fire stopping needs to be put in place to stop a fire going from one side to another. What we find in the industry are people who understand what they are doing themselves but they do not understand the big picture. As has been mentioned, we need to understand the overall process. The master builder, who has put himself or herself forward to construct the building, needs to understand what he or she is doing, understand that the safety of people is what is being achieved and he or she needs to get these details right. We should not be coming on site as an architect to pick up all of these basic issues that should be understood in the construction process.

Going through the building control (amendment) regulations, BCAR, and conflicts of interest, these are areas that would take a whole day to speak about. A mandatory reporting process was mentioned. I do not have the qualifications to discuss these.

The design process generally is very good if it is done by people who are qualified. The fire safety certificate process is robust. People get a final safety certificate. The drawings are prepared and checked. It is important the process is implemented on site. The transfer of information to building owners is very important and there is a process for this. The taskforce has brought up items to try to make it stronger. I was on the taskforce and I raised many of these issues. Some of them were taken on board. It is important that building owners understand their responsibilities and what they need to do to keep the building up to standard. Buildings are technical units and they need to be provided with proper maintenance as the building goes on.