Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and thank him for accepting the Bill. I compliment Senator Quinn on bringing forward this very important legislation. I do not know why those opposite are so amazed that the Minister has accepted the Bill. He has obviously taken this measure, which is positive for society, on its merits.

He is noted for putting an emphasis on competencies and consumer protection and I was not surprised when I heard that the Minister, Deputy Hogan, was accepting his Bill. Carbon monoxide is very dangerous and known as "the silent killer". The statistics exist to prove that. The Minister mentioned an average of six deaths per year. I note that was up to mid-2011. I do not know if the average number of deaths is decreasing. The HSE's health protection statistics for 2011 said it was one or two. Even one or two is one or two too many. I thank the Minister for bringing this measure forward.

The purpose of the Bill has been well outlined. Many speakers have referred to installation, monitoring, qualifications of the installers and where monitors are to be sited. The Minister referred to where a flue passes within or over a bedroom. One does not want too many monitors upstairs. One wants a maximum of two if it is within the 5 m radius. It is something to look at. The Bill provides that the statutory requirement to install a carbon monoxide detector would only be triggered by certain events, of which there are six. One of the events is the servicing of a boiler. Most people get their boilers serviced annually. The onus will be on every household when the boiler is serviced to ensure that Part 10 of the Bill is complied with. Many people already have carbon monoxide monitors. One of the first things my son did was install one notwithstanding that it was not mandatory. The Minister mentioned certification and the figure of 300,000. I did not realise it was that many. He mentioned 1.5 million houses. Certification is the thing. As the Minister said, we need competencies and to ensure that the people who install the monitors are qualified. One person has been left out of the Bill. Engineers, architects and registered gas installers are referred to but there is no mention of oil installers. Currently, oil installers install oil boilers and are not qualified to install gas boilers. The Minister will have to look at that as I am not an expert.

When one sells a house, one must obtain a BER certificate. If the competencies and qualifications of BER certifiers were linked with the competencies and qualifications of boiler certifiers, it would halve the cost of certification. Provision could also be made to ensure that the person who installs the boiler is also qualified to certify the boiler. It should come within the cost of installation rather than to have a separate cost for certification. While it is important that certification is carried out, it is also important to keep costs down. I note that section 10 makes provision for people who cannot afford it and for delay. People must service a boiler or it becomes dangerous. One does not want to stop them servicing boilers on foot of excessive cost.

There is an onus on landlords to ensure that this is done. Every landlord must be alerted to his or her duties when the Bill becomes law. There is also a duty on local authorities. I was always a great one for saying that when an extra duty is placed on a local authority, an extra €1 must come with it. Deputy Hogan is the right Minister to tell that to. As local authorities are landlords, I presume they are in the same bracket as private landlords and that monitors will be installed in local authority housing immediately following the enactment of the legislation.

I want to refer to technical specifications. The legislation is silent on the level of carbon monoxide that will trigger the monitor. Each monitor in each EU country has a different level. The Minister said something about the levels. Will there be EU harmonisation of levels? It would be a good thing. If a monitor is effective in one country, it should be deemed to be effective across the EU. If it is not certified with a certain level, it may be the wrong one.

However, there are many pollutants in our homes. In the meantime before everybody has installed a carbon monoxide monitor, we should ensure people put plants in their homes that absorb carbon monoxide from the air. The plants that do this are well known but NASA has conducted research that found plants are efficient at absorbing carbon monoxide and other air pollutants and they have been launched into space as part of the biological life support system orbiting the earth. Spider and fern plants take dioxins and so on out of the air while the aloe plant has been proven by NASA to work in the context of carbon monoxide. Nine aloe plants absorb the equivalent of one carbon monoxide monitor. The NASA research should be used in this regard because the penalties are onerous when they kick in. Board members of public buildings should be alerted to the fact that the responsibility falls on their heads.

I compliment Senator Quinn on introducing the Bill and I am pleased the Minister will accept it. This demonstrates how we in the Seanad can work positively together for the good of society.