Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I do detect an effort to get to the nub of the matter by virtue of the working group he has in place that is investigating the matter. He says he hopes recommendations will emanate from the working group by the end of the second quarter. I ask him to ensure this happens and that, based on those recommendations, the working group sees fit to find the mechanism that can alleviate the problem of certification of building controls. The recommendations should not compromise in allowing for and creating ease of access for people who wish to develop these properties in such a way that the end result will be what we all want to see, which is more property being made available and the rental deficiencies in all towns throughout the country being addressed. I would welcome that.

Regarding the certified assessor and the associated costs for the building sector in general, as I have said on numerous occasions the costs in this country are excessive when compared with those of the likes of the North. I believe I have asked the Minister of State to consider this before. I ask him to allow his working group to investigate and make a recommendation as to the feasibility and viability of, and potential associated with, a new scheme whereby the local authorities would be that assessor. This would offer an opportunity for the scheme to be streamlined and standards maintained throughout the country. The standards are not necessarily compromised at present but they are definitely excessive, are too great a cost and feed into the more general problem of excessive construction costs.

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