Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Construction Contracts Act 2013 seeks to ensure prompt payment practices throughout the construction industry which, as we are all aware, has suffered markedly throughout the economic downturn. It is intended that the legislation will provide easier access to payment for contractors who have carried out work, thus ensuring that those contractors who have endured hard times do not see such problems exacerbated by the holding up of payment.

The commencement of the Act is dependent on a number of factors contained within the Act itself. These include the appointment of a chairperson and panel of adjudicators by the Minister, who must be highly qualified and suitable to ensure quality outcomes in disputes referred under the Act. It requires the drafting and publication of a code of practice for the conduct of adjudications, which will be binding on all adjudicators operating under the Act, not just those appointed to cases by the chair of the adjudication panel.

Work on these items and the required consultation with industry has been and is ongoing. My Department is working with the Public Appointments Service to develop the parameters for an open competition for those who may want to apply for a place on the panel of adjudicators, and a draft version of the code of practice has been prepared in consultation with industry which I hope will be finalised shortly.

It is expected that the Act will be implemented in full by spring 2015. A specific date of implementation for the Act and details of the various stages leading up to that implementation will be announced in advance once those details have been finalised to provide sufficient notice to those affected by the Act's provisions.

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