Ms Mair?ad Phelan:

When we carry out an inspection, we put that inspection into the ICSMS, which is the European portal for inspections. There is no national register of construction products that are the subject of formalised standards in Ireland that people can check. People have to know the notified body for the product in question first and then check with the NSAI.

What we have learned from the market surveillance campaign in the past 18 months is that we have upped the ante in compliance. This is probably the first time many economic operators have heard of market surveillance. Now they all know we exist, it is like putting the Garda on the motorway. They know we will come back and check; they are quite aware of that. The professional bodies they deal with, namely, the professional geologists, the Irish Concrete Federation and other professional engineers, are all aware of the requirements. The good news in this regard relates to all the testing we did of the aggregate constituents, aggregate concrete blocks and everything else. They satisfied the technical requirements. It is a work in progress. Improved resourcing and training, competence and awareness are where we need to go, as well as being on the spot for reactive and proactive inspections.