Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

My first concern involves the certification of people who install or repair gas services. The IS813 regulation requires people who install such services to have a certain certification and FÁS intermittently provides a gas installer training course for places on which there is usually a long waiting list. A safety assurance programme was established under the existing legislation by Bord Gáis in 1987 according to which gas may be supplied without mandatory inspections only to installations which meet the programme's requirements. The programme requires an installer to have demonstrated the necessary competence in safe installation by completing the relevant FÁS course or holding an equivalent qualification. A random selection of inspections is carried out over a period of time and the system is regularly audited.

My difficulty is that a promise was made in the context of the deregulation of the gas network that the new gas Bill would provide for certification. While a person installing a system is required to hold a certification, there are no penalties for an installer who does not. In nine times out of ten it is probable that a person who offers a service by dropping a card through one's door or advertising in the window of the local shop will do a competent job. However, if he or she does not apply the proper standards or lacks the proper training, there is nothing which can be done besides legal action to penalise him or her. Any legislation introduced should provide for stiff fines and penalties for anyone who installs or repairs gas equipment without having the proper qualifications.

One of the main components of a gas pipe network is what is known as "flux", which is used to solder together the pipe work. While I am not an expert on gas, I have spoken to a number of people involved in gas equipment installation. According to my sources, there are only one or two products which conform with international standards, including La-co power-flow flux, which is non-acidic and non-toxic. The difficulty with this flux is that it is harder to apply than other commonly employed fluxes. One requires a higher level of skill to use it, which is where the training comes in. If one does not have the higher level of skill, one is not able to use this proper, more expensive flux. The majority of fluxes used to solder gas pipes is corrosive, which means that over time the gas piping will corrode. If that happens, leakages will occur and, depending on where the gas is installed, that can lead to explosions. A legal action is being taken by residents in an estate in Leixlip, County Kildare, as a result of this problem.

External fittings are also an issue but the flux issue needs to be addressed in legislation. The highest international standards must apply because if only one in 200,000 gas pipes corrodes because of an acidic flux, that is one too many in terms of putting people's lives in jeopardy.

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