Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a detailed update on the progress made in implementing the recommendations made in the July 2010 report by the local government efficiency review group, particularly in the establishment on a regional basis of a single building inspectorate service to streamline the approach to the inspection of property. [13074/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The recommendations contained in the Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group provide important input to consideration of options for expenditure reduction, revenue raising, efficiency and other policy developments. I established an independently chaired Implementation Group, in April 2011, to drive forward relevant recommendations of the Report, with a focus on key recommendations that will remove costs and yield early savings. The Group has met on eleven occasions since June 2011, and its overall work programme is progressing. It has recently completed an interim report, which I have asked it to develop further, and I expect to receive its finalised report shortly.

With regard to the establishment on a regional basis of a single building inspectorate service, I announced, in July 2011, a number of measures to be advanced by my Department and local authorities with a view strengthening the arrangements in place for enforcing compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations. In broad terms these 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) the lodgement of drawings at both commencement and completion of construction, demonstrating how the building has been designed and built to comply with all parts of the Building Regulations;

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

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

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

The matter is therefore being progressed in the context of the above-mentioned actions being taken at Department and at Local Authority levels to further the development of the Building Control function.