Máire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of Grenfell Tower again. The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, said this morning that there is no situation in Ireland that is directly comparable to Grenfell. What does "directly comparable" mean? This morning the chief fire officer of Dublin Fire Brigade said that the local authorities are best placed to carry out building control inspections but that there are no resources within the local authorities to do so. The reports of inspections by all local authorities of multi-storey units are due by 19 July, with recommendations. The national directorate for fire and emergency management is charged with the co-ordination of this process. The directorate was also responsible for the audit of fire safety compliance in Traveller accommodation in the wake of the 2015 Carrickmines fire in which ten people and one unborn child died.

Never again should this country allow light-touch building regulations or safety self-certification as we did in the time of the boom, much to our disgrace. We prioritised profits over the safety of families in their homes. We will not give in to lobbyists.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to the House to provide an update on fire safety audits, to discuss the requirement to fix buildings that are non-compliant, vulnerable and which pose a fire risk, to outline what resources will be needed for same and where they will come from.