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

I will share time with Deputy Ó Broin. I thank all of the contributors for the ways in which they put forward their ideas and solutions for us to compile this report. We as a cross-party Oireachtas joint committee have regular engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. I refer to chartered surveyors, the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, the Construction Industry Federation, local authorities, Department officials, and Ms Sarah Neary, who is a regular visitor and contributor to a huge number of the policies that we want to implement.

We work on a wide range of policies to make sure that the standard of development in this country will be high going forward instead of what we had in previous decades. Numerous policies have been put in place in compliance and certification, the building control (construction industry register Ireland) Bill, CIRI, the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, BCAR, and the building control management system, BCM. Other policies have been put in place to remedy the problems we had in the past and to make sure that the standard going forward is the highest we can possibly implement.

This report is one of the many that the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government has published and will be publishing. We are working on a cross-party policy on housing for older people, assisted living and independent living. We have always been a solution-focused committee. I have said before that while we might differ on the way we get to those solutions, we all want the same outcome: to provide a safe roof over people's heads wherever they live in the country. We all want to make sure that the standards are adhered to and regularly checked. Many of the policies put in place will make sure that happens. We must promote, as the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, has said, a culture of good practice and accountability and give great transparency for purchasers. We are on the road to doing that and have implemented it in many ways.

The roles of all involved and the delivery of homes must comply with all of the codes of practice. I refer in particular to continued engagement with local authorities during construction to make sure that is being closely monitored. The building control reform agenda and other initiatives that are under way provide a full and comprehensive roadmap to embedding a culture of real compliance within the construction industry. I look forward to the ongoing engagement. As committee members, we have two to three in-depth meetings each week and it has been a massive challenge for the Department and the committee.

We have a very good working relationship with ongoing open communication and dialogue to make those solutions happen. I look forward to the ongoing positive engagement we have. I thank all the committee members for their commitment and for the time they give. That is not only in committee but in the time before that. A huge amount of preparatory work goes on. A huge level of data have to be collated and the Department is very good at giving us all the information we require. The Library and Research Service here helped us to form these policies not to sit on a shelf but to be implemented. That is where we are different. We are going to make sure that they are implemented so that we all have the standard of development in this country that people desire.

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