Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will speak specifically to amendment No. 19, but I am supportive of the other amendments in this group. My amendment seeks representation on the board from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, but also from other specific groups such as the Construction Defects Alliance. That we would not have representation from homeowners and people who have been at the coalface of dealing with building defects and have suffered in that regard is indefensible. They should be represented on this board.

There is another point I want to make. Earlier in this discussion we were given assurances by the Minister of State that we should not worry that the independent regulator is to be housed in and run by the Construction Industry Federation because there are mechanisms in place to ensure the independence of the regulator and that includes the independence of the board. My amendment No. 19 seeks the deletion of lines 31 to 35 on page 20. Line 31, page 20, states: "5 persons who are nominated for such appointment by the registration body— " The registration body, as the Minister of State has told us, is to be the Construction Industry Federation. In regard to the great assurance that we have been given that this board will be independent, ensuring that the regulator is independent, when one reads the legislation one finds that half of the board will be appointed by the Construction Industry Federation. Not only will the Construction Industry Federation be running the board that is meant to be regulating builders, it will appoint half the members of that board who are meant to guarantee the independence. You could not make this up. It is utterly absurd after everything that has happened in the country.

I am calling on the Minister of State to accept our amendments in order to address this absurdity whereby the industry would be regulating itself.

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