Ms Sarah Neary:

There are two elements to the staff shortage. There is a shortage of skilled staff in the construction industry and in the professional resources needed to carry out the inspections.

Mr. O'Mahony mentioned the 3,380 professional members in the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, RIAI, who are all available to do the assigned certifier role. We do not see that there is a significant skills shortage, or at least we have not been made aware of that in terms of the assigned certifier role or the building control amendment regulations, BCAR, role, whatever about the skills shortage on the labouring side of the industry. We are working with the Department of Education and Skills on that. There is an entire policy around that and the efficiencies within the industry and the move towards greater off-site construction. I am not saying that it is perfect but there is work going on this, even though it is not our direct responsibility.

Even in the social housing realm we have been very actively promoting off-site construction. We have developed, in conjunction with the Office of Government Procurement, a framework of design-build contractors using off-site construction and social housing projects are pulling off that framework now. Dublin County Council went earlier in the summer to the industry looking for expressions of interest to do off-site construction apartment building, whether it is a volumetric-type programme. There is a significant move towards that and that is less labour intensive.

In the code of practice for inspecting and certifying buildings, which we produced as a guidance document to the introduction of BCAR back in 2014, and revised in 2016, there is a sample inspection plan for housing. It goes through the risk assessment of how to assess the risk associated with the building, or in this case a house, by identifying the risk and the most appropriate times for inspection. It gives an example for a non-complex dwelling. There is guidance out there and we have been working very closely with the industry to develop that and support the process of inspection.