Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, section 9 of the Act provides for periodic reviews of the appointed register and in respect of the functions of the registration body. They can be changed by the board and by the Minister. We do not need to amend the Act if it were the case that the Construction Industry Federation was not performing as prescribed under the Act. In this case, the appointment body could be changed without any amendment being required to the primary legislation. That is provided for in the Act.

As for the Oireachtas joint committee, significant changes were made to the composition of the board further to the discussions there. As Deputies Ó Broin and Cian O'Callaghan have outlined, we also had detailed discussions on Second and Committee Stages. That is more robust now. Members are to have certain expertise, which is important. There will be two members to be nominated from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, one each by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, two members to appointed on the recommendation of the Public Appointments Service, PAS, and three members to be nominated by the registration body. That advice has come through the deliberations of the committee as well.

On defects, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has committed to bringing specific proposals to Cabinet before the end of the year and I concur with both Deputies that people have experienced huge emotional turmoil through no fault of their own, but they were just let down. That is very difficult to take. In the programme for Government, we set the mechanism through the defects committee to deliberate on it. That has done a huge body of work. On Tuesday, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, put on the record of the House that he would get proposals through this week.

As for the building controls regulator, Ibelieve that is out for consultation at the moment. To clarify, the Department is working with the Housing Agency. I have no further information on that but I will communicate with or write to the Deputy with a more specific update on it.