Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes. I am delighted to have been in a position to change the regulations in the interests of the consumer and to rid ourselves once and for all of the shoddy development that passed for good development in the past ten or 15 years. I make no apologies to the professional bodies for doing so.

The Building Control Act has not changed, but the regulations have. They are much stronger and more robust. Senator Mooney raised a nonsense about €40,000. It was the same with the septic tanks, which were supposed to cost €20,000. People have not even applied for grants yet, as they can comply with the septic tank regulations on the basis of desludging. This point came out in the recent EPA report. The scaremongering does not reflect the real world. It might be fine for political purposes, but €40,000 is nowhere near the real world figure I am expecting. Taking account of the new regulations, people should be able to do this for a modest average of approximately €3,000 in rural Ireland. I aspire to ensure this is the case, particularly where, as the Senator rightly pointed out, only a few people in some areas are registered with a statutory body.

I will not apologise to anyone for amending these regulations over a two-year period. People have had sufficient time. We have taken a practical approach to ensuring that the customer comes first, and it is about time.