Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann shall consider the Report of the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government entitled ‘Safe as Houses? A Report on Building Standards, Building Controls and Consumer Protection (December 2017)’, copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 24th January, 2018.

My apologies for being late. I think we are running a little bit ahead of time. As Chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government, I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on what I believe is a very comprehensive and important report, entitled Safe as Houses? A Report on Building Standards, Building Controls and Consumer Protection, which was agreed by the committee. I will be sharing time with Deputy Ó Broin who is the committee's rapporteur for the report. I thank our committee clerk, our policy officer and the staff of the committee - Fiona, Padraig, Trish and Brian - for all their hard work in putting this report together.

On foot of a proposal from Deputy Ó Broin, the joint committee agreed to appoint him as rapporteur for the committee in the preparation of this report. The committee held meetings with invited stakeholders and experts from a range of perspectives and also sought written submissions. I thank all those witnesses who came before the committee and those who submitted written proposals for their respective contributions. The insight and information provided to the committee by all the stakeholders was invaluable in drafting this report. On behalf of the joint committee and all its members, I thank Deputy Ó Broin for all his detailed work in producing the draft report. As we know, I am sharing my time with him.

He will say a few words after me on the specifics of the report. The issue of building regulations, building control and consumer protection was identified as a key topic for consideration by the committee. In recent years, Ireland has seen numerous housing defects come to light and as building activity steadily increases once more, the committee believes it is imperative and prudent to examine this important area. We must learn from lessons of the past and the committee believes that robust building regulations and controls play a crucial role in ensuring mistakes are not repeated.

Consumer protection is an important aspect of this topic. Effective and accessible legal remedies are needed for homeowners who have discovered and will discover defects in their homes.

The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, often referred to as BCAR, have already contributed to a cultural change in compliance in Ireland. Furthermore, the proposed legislation placing the Construction Industry Register Ireland, CIRI, on a statutory footing will also enhance compliance. However, the committee wished to examine whether any further policy changes would be required. Our examination of the area has led us to make a number of recommendations for reform, across four distinct areas, on which Deputy Ó Broin will elaborate. In conclusion, the joint committee, in consultation with the relevant Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, the relevant Ministers of State, Deputies Damien English and John Paul Phelan, Department officials, State agencies and stakeholders, is fully committed to monitoring the progress being made on the ongoing implementation of the recommendations contained in this report in addition to other policy initiatives.

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