Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 322: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to introduce regulation with regard to issuing building energy rating certificates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42894/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 – 2008, which transposed Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings into Irish law, require a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate to be obtained prior to a building being offered for sale or letting, or prior to a newly commissioned building being occupied for the first time.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), as the designated issuing authority under the regulations, is responsible for the day to day administration of the BER scheme. The assessment of buildings must be carried out by independent BER assessors who are registered with SEAI.

The primary purpose of the BER certificate and advisory report is to enable prospective purchasers or tenants to take a building's energy performance into account when deciding on whether to avail of a building offered for sale or letting.

In response to the growing importance of energy considerations across member states, a new Directive (2010/31/EU) on the energy performance of buildings was adopted earlier this year and came into force on 9 July 2010.

The deadline for the transposition of Directive 2010/31/EU is 9 July 2012. While Ireland's existing arrangements for BER certification address many of the requirements of Directive 2010/31/EU some modifications and enhancements will be required. In this regard a transposition plan is currently being prepared by my Department which it is intended will be the subject of public consultation prior to being communicated to the European Commission well in advance of the deadline for transposition.