Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

A study of a wider sample would be really important in terms of the need for us to get this right and the huge investment that is going into it as well. My next question is for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage representatives. I appreciate that they are from the climate action policy unit and, as such, building control may not be their main area. All of this relates to building control issues. Is the Department looking at making improvements in the regulatory framework in terms of all building works, including retrofitting, the statute of limitations and company law, to ensure that directors of companies found to be responsible for serious breaches can be held to account, and the establishment of a national building control authority along the lines of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland? What is the Department's view on these matters? We have a disastrous track record in this area. We cannot assume that because there is lots of good will and good work is being done, as we have heard, things will definitely be different with retrofitting.