Ms Geraldine Larkin:

I thank the committee for the invitation to assist in its consideration of the issues relating to quarries and deleterious materials.

I am the chief executive officer of the NSAI. My colleagues, Mr. Seán Balfe, head of sustainability and built environment, Mr. Enda McDonnell, director of standards and metrology, and Ms Yvonne Wylde, head of standards technical, and myself are here today to assist the committee in its work and address any questions members may have. My comments will address NSAI’s work in supporting businesses in the construction sector to comply with regulatory frameworks.

NSAI, as the Irish national standards body, was established by the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act 1996 as an agency under the auspices of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is the national member of the international and European standardisation organisations, International Organization for Standardization, ISO, International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC, and the European Committee for Standardization, CEN-CENELEC, and is also a provider of certification for statutory and non-statutory schemes. The NSAI has a broad role that creates the infrastructure for products and services to be recognised and relied on worldwide. The benefits of standardisation and use of standards are well recognised. Standards have been found to create efficiencies and mitigate risks, they facilitate elimination of trade barriers and assist in establishing market and consumer confidence. Standards also play a significant role in supporting Irish Government policies and legislation.

Standardisation of construction products is a core NSAI activity for which we have a strong reputation. The authority facilitates stakeholders representing all aspects of Irish life to build consensus on standards needed for their sectors in the development of national, European, and international standards and related guidance documents. We are supporting the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the EU CPR acquisprocess. This establishes the essential characteristics for construction products for incorporation into harmonised technical specifications. To support application of the CPR in Ireland, we publish the harmonised European standards, ENs, as Irish standards and have produced additional guidance to some ENs in the form of standards recommendations, SRs, for specific uses of certain construction products in Ireland.

Of the suite of standards addressing the design of masonry structures, EN 771 is the specific standard series relating to the specification of masonry units generally and IS EN 771, part 3, deals specifically with aggregate concrete blocks. In relation to this standard, NSAI has published SR 325 on recommendations for the design of masonry structure in Ireland to Eurocode 6. This provides guidance for particular situations as regards durability for finished work and the use of category 1 aggregate concrete blocks in buildings. Irish block manufacturers are, therefore, required to have third party oversight of their factory production control by a notified body. Category 1 aggregate concrete blocks should, therefore, meet the prescribed density and compressive strength of IS EN 771, part 3and be made with dense aggregates conforming to IS EN 12620 on aggregates for concrete and SR 16 of 2016 on guidance on the use of IS EN 12620. Given that aggregate is a key constituent of aggregate concrete blocks, SR 16 also outlines the precautions to be taken in the quarry to reduce the risk of harmful impurities in aggregate production.

With regard to NSAI’s certification role for the construction sector, we are a notified body designated by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with a scope of activities related to quarries. The authority operates a number of schemes for construction products which can apply to quarries. The three most common are certification to IS EN 12620 on aggregates for concrete, I.S. EN 771, part 3 for concrete blocks and IS EN 13242 on aggregates for materials for use in civil engineering work and road construction. In conducting audits of the manufacturers, the NSAI’s role as a notified body is to assess and audit the manufacturer’s factory production control system, followed by annual surveillance visits. The scope of the certification process relates to the manufacturer’s capability to produce compliant products. The factory production control system is the permanent control of production exercised by the manufacturer.

By drawing up a declaration of performance and affixing the CE marking, the manufacturer takes full responsibility for the conformity of the product with its declared performance.

NSAI's work in standards and certification for the construction sector is essential for the value it brings to citizens and businesses in everyday life. We play an important role in this sector. I can assure the committee of our commitment through this important work to support the construction sector. Together with my colleagues, I am available to answer any questions that the committee may wish.