Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I welcome this legislation, which is long overdue. The transposition into Irish law of the EU directive on the energy performance of buildings, adopted on 16 December 2002, has been the subject of inexplicable and unwarranted delays. The directive was to have been legally transposed into State law and given practical effect by 4 January 2006. As with other EU directives with an environmentally beneficial impact, the transposition of this directive has been characterised by foot-dragging. Bearing in mind that we are amongst the slowest to implement such directives, one should note that the Minister, Deputy Roche, when speaking prior to the publication of this legislation, had the audacity to claim the legislation would "put Ireland to the forefront of the EU in driving energy efficiency in our homes, offices, factories and other commercial buildings".

We should not have to wait for directives from the EU to take progressive action to improve the energy-efficiency of our homes and buildings. As has been pointed out in this House on many occasions, this State is facing huge fines for failure to comply with our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. Buildings, including homes and workplaces, consume approximately 40% of our energy resources. Improving the energy efficiency of buildings can play a significant part in reducing emissions output. EU research that informed the drafting of this directive indicated that CO2 emissions from buildings could be reduced by 22% through improving energy efficiency. In addition to its having an environmental benefit, improving the energy efficiency of buildings also helps to reduce the costs of heating, especially for low-income families, who face increasing difficulties as a result of escalating fuel costs, the cost of oil in particular.

Increasing energy costs will undoubtedly result in higher levels of fuel poverty. This needs to be addressed, particularly through carrying out structural improvements to enhance the energy efficiency of homes occupied by families on low incomes. We need to roll out a comprehensive Government programme in this regard. In budget 2006, the Government announced €65 million for renewable energy schemes, yet, two months later, the grants to householders in respect of the announcement have yet to be rolled out. What is the reason for this delay? I look forward to an answer. People building new homes or carrying out improvements to their houses are losing out. The relevant grants have long been in place in other European states and the details of the grants available to Irish householders should be published without further delay.

Although this legislation is welcome, it does not suffice. Far more needs to be done to promote the construction of eco-buildings. We need to go beyond directives from the EU and grasp every opportunity to reduce our dependency on energy from fossil fuels, the vast majority of which are imported. The construction of eco-buildings requires greater incentivisation.

This State is among the most oil-dependent in the world. Oil accounts for nearly 64% of our overall energy consumption, which is more than 20 points higher than the EU average. Our dependency on non-renewable sources of energy has serious and potentially damaging implications for the economy in the years ahead. The Government must publish a comprehensive alternative energy strategy without further delay.

To date, the Government's record on the implementation of policies to tackle climate change has been atrocious. It has pursued polices to promote the use of private transport, it dumped proposals to introduce carbon taxes and it is relying almost exclusively on emissions trading to meet obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. There is no genuine commitment to tackling climate change.

If this legislation is to be effective, it will need to be enforced. There is much detail on the BER certificate in the Bill and it will need to be clarified. I hope this matter can be teased out on Committee Stage. We have yet to see what will comprise the prescribed qualifications of, and training for, those issuing BER certificates. I fully agree with the comments of Deputy Quinn in this regard. We need to ensure there are mechanisms to monitor and inspect the accuracy of such certificates. As with other legislation, the key indicator that will determine the usefulness of this legislation will be how well it is enforced. Unless the resources necessary to enforce its provisions are made available, it will be of little use.

There are real concerns that the under-funding of local authorities is impeding the ability of local building-control authorities to carry out their existing duties. Increased responsibility must be matched with increased resources. Enforcement is essential and without adequate enforcement the directive and this legislation will be worthless.

I strongly welcome the provisions in this Bill that seek to strengthen the powers of local authorities in regard to ensuring access to buildings for people with disabilities. In Drogheda, in my constituency, people with disabilities were involved in a protracted campaign to allow the disabled gain access to a post office. It is outrageous that this campaign was necessary in regard to a public service. A similar campaign will shortly commence regarding the social welfare office. I therefore welcome strongly the introduction of disability access certification to ensure the disability compliance requirements of the building code are respected fully.

I also welcome the provisions in the Bill that limit the use of the titles "architect", "building surveyor" and "quantity surveyor" to suitably qualified people whose names are on a national register. There have been a number of high-profile instances of unqualified people passing themselves off to householders as qualified building professionals.

I look forward to Committee Stage when we can tease out a number of these issues. I welcome the publication of the Bill.

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