John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

The Deputy is referring to building control enforcement. Under the Building Control Act 1990 the national building regulations set minimum standards for all buildings, including dwellings, which must comply with the requirements of the building regulations with effect from 1 June 1992. The regulations apply to the construction of new buildings and material alterations, extensions or change of use of existing buildings. The Deputy will be familiar with the various parts of the building regulations. As a Department, we have set an inspection target of between 12% and 15% of all buildings covered by valid commencement notices. Our most recent statistics, covering the period from 1 January to 30 June 2009, show that all the building control authorities except Kilkenny met or exceeded the target, giving a general average of 28% of all buildings inspected. The data for the first six months of 2009 show that 2,349 building inspections were carried out, a marked decrease compared to the 11,034 inspections in 2008. The Deputy will know this is because of the slump in new building output. A total of 34 enforcement notices were served by the building control agency in 2008. Twenty were served in the first six months of 2009.

We are very much aware of this problem and are trying to ensure we meet those targets. I assure the Deputy that although it is not expected there will be any significant issue concerning the installation of pipes, we have looked at the issue and we know there is a problem because of what has come to our notice. We are being very vigilant in that regard. It is fair to say, however, that in regard to all new buildings we will ensure that maximum cover is given and that our building inspectors will do that.

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