Dr. Richard Manton:

I thank Deputy Casey for his comments. I take his point that his intention in proposing this Bill is not to reduce standards. It is intended that in the awarding of a works permit, standards will remain the same. However, I would be uncomfortable with the replacement of the requirement for a fire safety certificate. I will make a point about the current operation of the seven-day notice. We share the Department's characterisation that the replacement of the fire safety certificate requirement would be a highly retrograde step in this new system of building control regulation. For good reason, it currently takes quite some time to assess an application for a fire safety certificate. There are many considerations to take into account in the refurbishment of vacant buildings. I will not go through them all, but they include the means of escape, the types of material, the spread of smoke and compartmentalisation. The risk that is currently associated with the operation of a seven-day notice is that someone will go through the process of being awarded a fire safety certificate at a later stage following a rigorous assessment. We would not like to see any compromise in fire safety regulation. We would have concerns about the awarding of a works permit if the inspection regime that is currently proposed were not up to the same standard.