Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Mr. O'Connor and Mr. Beausang for attending and giving us a briefing. I am sorry I missed the earlier part of it but I was following the debate elsewhere.

Mr. O'Connor spoke about regulation, compliance and certification. He said the objective was to strengthen the system, but how does he equate that with the exclusion of architectural technicians from the list of professional people who are entitled to certify? Is that a weakness in the Act? Building regulation compliance is not about aesthetics; that is only part of it. It is about the technical aspects in terms of the quality and quantity of what goes into the building. Is it a weakness in the Act that these people have been left off the list of professionals who are entitled to certify, and does he believe that should be put right?

Mr. O'Connor said that the people who take responsibility for certification are signing away their careers. Is it not a correct assumption to make that the careers of architectural technicians have been signed away with this legislation? I would like to hear Mr. O'Connor's opinion on that. It is about the quality and the calibre of the people who carry out the inspections.