Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 516: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the assistance he will provide to homeowners with pyrite in their home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31167/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The issue of pyrite was brought to the attention of my Department in mid-2007. Having consulted the statutory Building Regulations Advisory Body, my Department issued a circular letter (Ref. BC 6/2007) to each county manager and local building control authority on 16 August 2007 to bring this matter to their notice and to request co-operation in the enforcement of the relevant requirements set out in the circular. The circular also brought to their attention a notice issued by Fingal County Council on 26 July 2007 on this matter.

Following an intervention from my Department, the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) 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 it is intended to address the quality standards of new homes and buildings insofar as problems relating to pyrite are concerned. My Department incorporated this NSAI Standard Recommendation into the relevant Technical Guidance Document (TGD-C) of 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 has also notified Local Authorities, the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Home Builders' Association and other key stakeholders of the provisions of the amended TGD-C. In addition, I am aware that HomeBond has included the amended NSAI Standard Recommendation in their published 6th edition of the House Building Manual. I am satisfied that the measures outlined represent an appropriate response by my Department to this issue.

Responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations is a matter for the owner or builder of a building. Enforcement of the Building Regulations is the responsibility of individual Building Control Authorities which are empowered to carry out inspections and initiate enforcement proceedings, where considered necessary. The resolution of problems arising between building owners and builders is a matter for the parties concerned, namely the building owner, the relevant developer and the builder's insurers. Where the construction of a building is the subject of a contract between the client and the builder enforcement is a civil matter.

Compliance with the building regulations is kept under constant review by my Department. The Building Regulations Advisory Body, which was established under the 1990 Building Control Act to advise me on matters relating to building regulations, has submitted a report on enforcement of the regulations. This document will be an important input to my Department's ongoing consideration of the building regulations regime.