Ms Sarah Neary:

To clarify, it is not that we have an annual review of BCAR, it is that a review took place in March 2015, a year after implementation of the BCAR system. With regard to new products on the market, if products do not fall within European or Irish standards the way to demonstrate compliance with the building regulations is through third-party certification. This is the only way we can ensure products are suitable for their intended specific use and the conditions in which they are being used.

I do not agree that Dame Hackitt's report undermines BCAR. It finds many of the same problems as were identified in the Irish system by the high level group in 2011, such as the lack of professional involvement throughout the construction process and the lack of accountability. Dame Hackitt's report deals with clarity of roles and responsibilities, on which we have an entire document. We have identified people and their responsibilities in the design and construction stages. This is her point on the golden thread of responsibility. Another item she raised was on change controls. Where people change products or designs during construction it is a major risk to a project. This is explicitly referenced in our 2014 code of practice Significant changes on issues that relate to compliance with building regulations must be notified. Dame Hackitt refers to health and safety legislation and, in many ways, BCAR is based on a similar model, whereby the people involved in construction and design are directly responsible for their work. There is effective oversight inspection and a risk-based approach through the control authorities. I am happy to discuss this in more detail on another occasion.