Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

During the debate on Report Stage in the Dáil, a commitment was made to give further consideration to amendments which had been tabled. These concerned the increases in fines for breaches of the building code. Section 9 of the Bill already provides for substantial increases in fines. A fine of €5,000 already cited in the Bill was increased from £800. I am advised €5,000 is the maximum fine for the jurisdiction of the District Court and, accordingly, it is outside my remit to propose to increase it.

The section originally provided for an amendment to section 9 to provide for an increase in the maximum fine for conviction on indictment from €10,000 to €25,000. However, in light of the debate in the Dáil, I propose to increase the original fine further to €50,000. We will make substantial changes in the level of fines. I hope Senators from all parties will welcome the amendment which will act as a deterrent for those who may consider it profitable to be non-compliant with building regulations. It applies to the totality of the building regulations. It is part of my philosophy that people involved in building who know the regulations and decide they will ignore them must bear the full cost and consequence of their actions.