Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Having raised the issue of Peamount Hospital on a number of occasions, this report needs to be examined in detail because there is an issue regarding the treatment of chronic, recurrent sufferers of tuberculosis as opposed to those who would tend to present in St. James's Hospital. However, there are a number of national issues of concern and I have given a commitment to raise a different one.

I ask the Ministers of State, Deputies Killeen and Brian Lenihan, to urge the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, to arrange for an audit of every domestic gas installation in the country, particularly those connected by Bord Gáis Éireann, at least from the meter to the house. That might sound like a massive undertaking but if it is not done, the Government could be guilty of failing to prevent unnecessary gas explosions which could occur anywhere in a grotesque lottery of death. Information has been brought to my attention in this regard and I would like to see immediate action.

Just over a year ago, on 3 February 2005, I highlighted the issue of the certification of people who install natural gas systems and the need to have accredited professionals working in this area. I referred to issues regarding the types of flux used, some of which corrode gas pipes, and the need for people working with such material to know exactly what they are doing. The Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, in his reply, promised that an energy miscellaneous provisions Bill would be published and the matters raised would be dealt with in that context.

In reply to parliamentary questions I tabled, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, indicated that the new legislation would provide for a scheme of regulation specifically aimed at gas installers. Such a scheme is supposed to ensure that all future work on natural gas fittings will conform to the appropriate standards and make it unlawful for any person who is not a certified natural gas installer to work on a natural gas fitting. We still await that legislation and I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, and the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, to bring it forward at the earliest opportunity. However, I will take their word in good faith that they will deal with the matters I raised previously.

There is now a more pressing issue with regard to natural gas installations. I contend, having spoken to a number of experts in this field, that there is an urgent need to carry out an audit of our domestic gas network to ensure that pipe work and other equipment adheres to the highest international standards, that a proper certification system is in place for the people installing and repairing gas systems and, most importantly, that the clear and present risk to residents using natural gas is minimised before an avoidable tragedy occurs owing to defective equipment being installed in many homes. Defective equipment has been installed in many homes.

In my constituency one of the fastest growing towns in the country, Lucan, has tens of thousands of new dwellings. In Dublin Mid-West, including Lucan and Clondalkin, there are tranches of new houses, all of which had gas systems installed, generally just after the houses were purchased. Until recently, the body responsible for connecting the gas was Bord Gáis Éireann. Now I believe, and the Minister of State can correct me if I am wrong, private contractors are doing this work, which removes liability from Bord Gáis Éireann but does not remove the issues related to safety.

For the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of installations connected by Bord Gáis Éireann over the years an issue has come to light with regard to the insulation of the gas pipe work, even that small section going from the meter to the house. If even one inch of gas pipe work is left exposed, without insulation but under concrete, it will corrode over time. Concrete is a highly corrosive material and if the pipe corrodes, the gas will travel out the quickest way possible. Sometimes it will go into the house, other times it will travel up sewage pipes. The nature of gas is such that it needs to rise to the surface and when gas builds up to certain levels, at a given temperature and within a specific space, it can lead to an explosion.

There are a large number of gas pipe work installations that are not properly insulated because they have been done shoddily. Bord Gáis Éireann is responsible for this, as are the building contractors. I have a number of documents, one of which indicates non-conformance for a gas pipe to a gas fire, with the pipe not protected against corrosion. I have another user safety notice for a gas pipe where the meter entering the house is not protected against corrosion. These are just examples of tens of thousands of installations throughout the country that are not protected against corrosion. If only one of those houses has a gas leak because of this corrosion and it leads to an explosion that kills one person, that is one person too many. Every installation, particularly from the meter to the house and possibly inside the house, where appropriate, needs to be looked at as a matter of urgency before someone dies as a result of negligence.

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter. I fully appreciate Deputy Gogarty's motivation for raising this issue, as the safety of domestic natural gas consumers and the public in general is of paramount importance. However, the Minister has been advised by the Department's chief technical adviser and by Bord Gáis Éireann that as the pipeline contains gas not a liquid, there is no requirement for thermal insulation on any pipework from the meter to the house. The Minister has been advised that the lack of insulation has no implications for the safety of installations.

Having said that, the Minister wholeheartedly agrees that it is necessary that we as legislators and public representatives ensure that safety is placed high on the political agenda. In that context, I advise Deputies that the Government has this week approved the publication and initiation in this House of the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006. Among the provisions of the Bill are, inter alia, expanding the functions of the Commission for Energy Regulation to include: the regulation of the activities of natural gas undertakings and natural gas installers, with respect to safety; the promotion of natural gas safety; consultation with the National Standards Authority of Ireland regarding gas safety standards; and the establishment and implementation of a natural gas safety framework.

The natural gas safety provisions will empower the Commission for Energy Regulation to direct natural gas undertakings to advise their customers and the public as to natural gas safety and regulate the standards of training of gas installers in regard to gas safety. The Minister looks forward to the support of Deputies in bringing the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to enactment when introduced to the House.

I will detail, for the benefit of the House, the statutory remit of Bord Gáis Éireann in regard to gas safety which will give more assurance as to the robust nature of the safety regime. Under its parent legislation, the Gas Act 1976, Bord Gáis Éireann is required to have regard for such safety requirements as are, in its opinion, necessary for the transmission and distribution of natural gas. Further functions were conferred on Bord Gáis Éireann under SI No. 238 of 1987, made under section 2(1)(c) of the Gas (Amendment) Act 1987 to ensure the safety of the public. Article 8 of that order requires that Bord Gáis Éireann refuse to supply gas, or refuse to continue to supply gas, if it is of the opinion that it would give rise to an abnormal risk affecting safety. The order also obliges Bord Gáis Éireann to exercise at all times the practices and standards of a prudent gas undertaking and to have regard to relevant international standards and practices. The standards in use in Ireland are consistent with the latest relevant CEN, European Committee for Standardisation, and ISO, International Organisation for Standardisation, standards.

Bord Gáis Éireann has established a comprehensive safety assurance programme, which enables the company to meet its obligations with respect to safety under this legislation. Gas is supplied only to installations that meet the requirements of this programme, one of which is that the installer has demonstrated the necessary competence in safe installations by completing the relevant FÁS course or holding an equivalent qualification. For quality assurance purposes, a quota of installations is inspected randomly after natural gas has been supplied. Where an installation is completed by an installer who is not registered with Bord Gáis Éireann, a mandatory inspection must take place before Bord Gáis Éireann will supply gas to the premises. This system is regularly audited.

The gas safety provisions in the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will provide a statutory underpinning for this safety programme. It will also create an offence where certain works relating to gas installations are carried out by unregistered installers leaving such installers open to prosecution and the full rigour of the law.

Such new and important safety measures underline the Government's commitment to further enhancing the safety of natural gas consumers and the public and ensuring that Ireland continues to meet international best practice in regard to natural gas safety.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

How can that happen because of the concrete? Will that be dealt with?