Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will immediately end the system of self-certification in the building regulations and return to a situation in which local authorities are responsible for certifying development, in tandem with the lifting of the public sector recruitment embargo, in order to ensure that they have the appropriate levels of staff to deal with the function. [32579/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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In July 2011, I announced a number of measures to be advanced by my Department and local authorities with a view to improving compliance with, and oversight of, the requirements of the Building Regulations.

In broad terms the measures will involve:-

(a) the introduction of mandatory certificates of compliance by builders and designers of buildings confirming that the statutory requirements of the Building Regulations have been met;

(b) more efficient pooling of building control staff and resources across the local authority sector to ensure more effective and meaningful oversight of building activity;

(c) standardised approaches and common protocols to ensure nationwide consistency in the administration of building control functions;

(d) better support and further development of the building control function nationwide.

Decisions in relation to the appropriate levels of staffing for building control purposes are a matter for each County and City Manager who, under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, it is a matter for each County and City Manager, in the first instance, to ensure that staffing levels and necessary reductions are managed so that the appropriate service level is maintained. Within this context, however, I believe that mandatory certification and improved inspection arrangements are key reforms which will have the capacity to improve the quality of buildings and will lead to further strengthening of the regulatory regime as early as possible in 2012.