Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 466: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the laws that are in place to control noise nuisance through unattended house alarms; and if further strengthening of the law is envisaged in view of the considerable noise nuisance which they cause in densely populated areas. [9714/04]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Section 107 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 provides local authorities with powers to require measures to be taken to prevent or limit noise. I am aware that Dublin City Council, for example, regularly uses these powers in relation to noise from intruder alarms. Intruder alarms gave rise to 7% of the noise complaints made to Dublin City Council in 2002, down from 11% in 2001. Noise from alarms was the third lowest of all categories of complaints listed by the council in the annual report of its noise control unit for the period 2002-2003.

Nevertheless, I recognise that alarms are a source of neighbourhood noise. A number of arrangements are in place to reduce the incidence of unnecessary noise from alarms. The National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, has published a voluntary standards specification, No. 199 of 1987, and operates a certification scheme to that standard which specifies a minimum 15 minutes and maximum 30 minutes duration for the sounding of external alarms in buildings with the alarms being required to cease automatically after the maximum duration. The connection of monitored intruder alarm systems to Garda stations is contingent, inter alia, upon the use of alarm systems which are certified by the NSAI and installed by certified installers and the provision to the gardaí of contact details for the key holder and alternate key holders.

A European standard for external intruder alarms, which will replace all national standards, will incorporate considerably stricter controls regarding minimum and maximum duration for the sounding of alarms. The new limits will be 90 seconds minimum and 15 minutes maximum. This new standard will be the only one applied by the NSAI for intruder alarms installed from 1 March 2004.

In addition, the Private Security Services Bill sponsored by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, is before the Oireachtas. The Bill provides for a private security authority to license, control and supervise all alarm installers and for the authority to have powers to maintain and improve standards in the provision of services, including standards for intruder alarms.

Part E of the building regulations, sound, details the legal requirements to be met in relation to sound insulation between separating walls and floors of new dwellings — houses and apartments. Part E requires such walls and floors to have reasonable resistance to airborne and impact sound. Technical guidance document E, 1997 edition, provides technical guidance on how to comply with these requirements. Compliance with the building regulations is primarily the responsibility of the designers, builders and owners of new dwellings. Enforcement of the building code is a matter for the local building control authority.

I understand that the promulgation of the Irish standard, the development of the European standard, the requirements of the Garda for monitored alarms, improved equipment and the co-operation of the installers certified by the NSAI have, together, been instrumental in ensuring the incidence of false alarms and the failure of audible alarms to cut off have been significantly reduced.

Under the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 (Noise) Regulations 1994, a local authority or any person may seek an order in the district court to have noise giving reasonable cause for annoyance abated. The procedures involved have been simplified to allow action to be taken without legal representation. A public information leaflet outlining the legal avenues available to persons experiencing noise nuisance is available from my Department.

In light of the above, it is not proposed to introduce further legislation in relation to noise arising from house alarm systems.