Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

Following an application by Dublin City Council, a High Court Order was granted on 14 October 2011 for the evacuation of the development at Priory Hall on the grounds that it is unsafe. My Department understands that, following a further hearing on 17 October 2011, a stay has been put on the evacuation order until 20 October 2011, and that the developer has committed to carrying out a schedule of necessary remedial works in the coming weeks. Dublin City Council has also made arrangements for the temporary accommodation of the affected residents.

The events of the past week have come on the back of more than two years of enforcement activity and discussions with the developer. It is an extremely distressing and stressful situation for the residents at Priory Hall who, through no fault of their own, have had to struggle with the consequences of building defects.

I attach high priority to consumer protection in the area of quality construction of new dwellings. That is why I announced in July 2011 a number of measures to be advanced by my Department and local authorities with a view to improving compliance with, and oversight of, the requirements of the building regulations.

In broad terms the measures will involve: the introduction of mandatory certificates of compliance by builders and designers of buildings confirming that the statutory requirements of the building regulations have been met; more efficient pooling of building control staff and resources across the local authority sector to ensure more effective and meaningful oversight of building activity; standardised approaches and common protocols to ensure nationwide consistency in the administration of building control functions; and better support and further development of the building control function nationwide.

Implementation of these measures is being advanced as quickly as possible in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

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