Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 388: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a full breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of section 23s served by the 37 fire authorities under the Fire Services Act 1981 over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34326/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Fire Authorities have a range of statutory safety enforcement options at their disposal under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. Under Section 20 of the Fire Services Act, 1981 and 2003 a fire authority may serve a fire safety notice on the owner or occupier of a "potentially dangerous building", which is defined as a building which constitutes a serious danger to life in the event of a fire occurring therein. Such a notice may prohibit the use of a building (or part of it) and may require the owner or occupier to carry out specified fire precautions in that building.

In a situation of extreme and urgent concern about fire safety, a fire authority may apply under Section 23 of the Act to the High Court for an order to restrict or prohibit use of a building immediately. Statistics forwarded by fire authorities to my Department in relation to fire safety are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. Statistics forwarded by fire authorities in relation to applications made under section 23 of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003 for the 5 years 2005 to 2009 are set out in the following table. Statistics for 2010 are awaited from fire authorities.