Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

Two important issues arise from the Minister's reply. The new regulations will not meet the challenges on the ground. This will remain the only country which does not have an effective government-backed audit or inspection scheme in the area of building regulations. Such a scheme is essential. The Minister will note that the Latvian Prime Minister was forced to resign as a result of a government decision to abandon a similar scheme.

The Minister's statement that he expects local authorities to use the powers available to them has been a consistent refrain. I have repeatedly brought to his attention that they have not done so in many cases. If he does not have the power to make them do so, he had better change the position. I will give one example of a case in point. The residents of a private housing estate, Martello, in my constituency have spent tens of thousands of euro on having professional reports compliled, which demonstrate a lack of compliance with fire regulations. Fingal County Council, either through a lack of resources or will, has failed to take this information seriously and proper inspections have not been carried out of works done, allegedly to make the development safe. Residents continue to live in dwellings which are not compliant with fire regulations, yet the local authority has not taken action. What action does the Minister propose to take to compel the local authority to act in the manner in which it should have acted in the first instance?

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