Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The most important thing is to clarify that when Fine Gael came to Government, the first opportunity it got it brought in the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014. It should have been done many years before that but it was done by the Fine Gael Government in conjunction with the Labour Party because we recognised the importance of addressing the unacceptable situation of building failures in the past, which were allowed to happen by what I would call lax regulation. We stepped in and changed that. We have a lot more confidence in the building sector going forward and in what is being produced today and with regard to people's protections when they buy and build properties. The owner is also part of that conversation. They have to assign competent persons to design, build, inspect and certify the building and the works thereafter, both in a one-off house where there is the option to opt out of that, which is not an option people should take. We have addressed it and rightly so and it is a pity it was not done well before that. It has certainly been done now. We have other legislation coming forward on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, CIRI, which is to recognise the construction industry and the number of people who want to develop a proper culture of top-class construction and a high-quality certification process. I am glad that over 800 companies have voluntarily gotten involved in it and many more will come through it too.

The Department takes all committee reports very seriously and has certainly taken that one very seriously. It has been working through its recommendations. It is still working on it. Both the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and I have engaged with the committee on those recommendations. We will continue that work. We will also work with the committee on this area. They are privately owned properties. With regard to management companies, the Department of Justice and Equality is also involved in it. It is ongoing work. Perhaps it is a conversation we could continue on Committee Stage. That is where it stands at present.

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