Ms Orla Hegarty:

I believe Deputy Hourigan referred to the Safe as Houses report and the very broad concerns about whether our building control system is resourced and fit for purpose.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has strong powers related to food safety, to close businesses if there is a danger to public health, to do inspections and which operates independently with a defined remit. We do not have anything like that in the building sector. We have a system whereby owners and developers hire people to sign off on buildings and, in the main, they are not independently verified.