Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

First, I cannot meet the people from Priory Hall or any other development that is subject to court proceedings. When the court proceedings are concluded I might be in a position to meet people but I cannot do it before then.

I agree with Deputy Stanley that this is a looming problem, not just in Priory Hall but in other areas. There is general agreement now that a more rigorous enforcement regime is required. That is why in July of this year, before any matters relating to Priory Hall arose, I initiated a review of the building regulations and I will introduce mandatory certification of compliance by builders, and designers of buildings, confirming that the statutory requirements of the building regulations have been met. We put trust in professional people to do this job for the State in a devolved way, and it has not happened. More efficient pooling of building control staff and resources across the local authority sector is also required where we can target the areas in which we need more enforcement. A standardised approach with common protocols nationwide must be taken to ensure that people across the local authority sector, and across the professional organisations, will be in no doubt about their responsibilities.

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