Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 347: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the construction industry resulting from the failure of his Department and the local authorities to implement and invigilate the building regulations before September 2007 and in view of the estimates of up to 60,000 homes which are affected by the defective pyrite infill situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28102/08]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 348: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will establish and lead a taskforce with the Fingal County and Dublin city managers to investigate all aspects of the pyrite infill problem in the construction industry and to set in place a full remediation repair and compensation process for all the affected purchasers of defective homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28103/08]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 349: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has contacted an organisation (details supplied), Fingal County and Dublin City Council managers regarding the failure of a construction company (details supplied) in Dublin north east to agree a protocol and plan of action for the repair of up to 300 new homes which may have been seriously damaged by defective pyrite infill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28104/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 347 to 349, inclusive, together.

The position on this matter was most recently set out in reply to the Dáil Adjournment item on 5 June 2009 and in reply to Question Number 92 of 27 May 2008. As indicated in reply to previous questions on this issue, the resolution of problems arising between building owners and builders are matters between the parties concerned, namely, the building owner, the relevant developer and the builder's insurer. Where the construction of a building is the subject of a contract between the client and the builder, enforcement is a civil matter.

The NSAI has now published a new amended Standard Recommendation on the use of aggregates as infill for civil engineering and road construction work. The new Standard Recommendation came into effect on 7 December 2007 and the intention is that it will address the quality standards of new homes and buildings insofar as problems relating to pyrite are concerned. The NSAI notified the European Commission of this intention in accordance with statutory requirements and no objection has been raised to the proposal. My Department has now incorporated this NSAI Standard Recommendation into the relevant Technical Guidance Document (TGD-C) associated with the Building Regulations. A copy of the relevant amendment to TGD-C is available on my Department's Website at www.environ.ie. My Department will this week be writing to local authorities, the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Home Builders' Association and other key stakeholders drawing their attention to the provisions of the amended TGD-C. I am also aware that HomeBond has included the amended NSAI Standard Recommendation in their recently-published 6th edition of the House Building Manual. I have no proposals to establish a Task Force on this matter.