Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the training specification for the BER inspection programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32385/06]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 258: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the body which will provide the training of BER assessors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32386/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to answer Questions Nos. 257 and 258 together.

The Training Specification for building sector energy assessors, for the purpose of the Building Energy Rating (BER) of New Dwellings, was published by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), on behalf of the Energy Performance in Building Directive Inter Departmental Implementation Group, on Friday 6 October 2006. This Specification can be viewed on the following website: www.sei.ie/epbd. In addition, I have arranged for a hard copy of the Specification to be placed in the Oireachtas Library.

BERs will be issued by registered assessors who have successfully completed a training programme that:

(a) meets the requirements of the Training Specification:

(b) has been validated by a national accreditation body e.g. the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) or the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC); and

(c) is given by a training provider that is accredited by a national accreditation body

I understand that a number of third level educational institutions, and at least two building professional representative organisations, plan to deliver relevant accredited training programmes.