Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On the issue of timber, I appreciate that, as Ms Neary said, the requirements of the building regulations do not prohibit the use of timber products in construction at any height, although her spoken remarks are different from the text as she rightly went on to say, "provided they can demonstrate compliance". The reality is, in the real world it is virtually impossible to demonstrate compliance of buildings, particularly of a complex nature. In fairness to the Dublin Fire Brigade representatives, they give us much more detail in that sense. When I read the Dublin Fire Brigade presentation, there is a frustration that given that we have very significant carbon emissions reductions targets to achieve in a built-up environment, and that means we have to use lower-carbon building materials, including greater use of timber and given there is going to need to be greater use of timber in high-rise, higher-density, more complex buildings, what I am hearing today that nothing has really changed, other than there will be more research and advice. It seems such a wasted opportunity. I ask Ms Neary to respond to that, particularly with reference to the six types of complex buildings that Dublin Fire Brigade ha outlined in page 3 of its submission. How long are we going to be waiting before architects and developers, whether public or private sector developers, who want to use these products that are used in almost every other European capital city, have the clarity and certainty in the regulations and guidelines to allow them to move towards those lower-carbon building technologies?