Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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511. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to new building regulations, the process in place to allow existing long term practitioners to be certified by his Department in order that they can comply with new regulations. [19633/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Architects, Building Surveyors and Chartered Engineers are the construction professions typically involved in the design of construction works in Ireland and reference to these professions in the new Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 is entirely appropriate.

Neither I nor my Department has any role in the assessment, validation or certification of design practitioners which is a matter for the relevant professional bodies in the construction sector (namely Engineers Ireland, the Royal Institution of Architects of Ireland, and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland) in accordance with EU and national law.

Depending on their personal circumstances it may be open to long term practitioners, who possess the requisite experience and competence in the design of buildings, to seek inclusion on either of the statutory registers maintained by the professional bodies referred to above. S uch persons should contact EI, RIAI and SCSI in order to identify the route to registration most suited to their own individual circumstances. Registration in this way would enable a person to sign the statutory certificates of compliance as provided for under the new regulations when came into effect on 1 March 2014.  There is no question of persons who are not included on the statutory registers being permitted to sign certificates of compliance.

In 2013, in response in particular to the concerns of those who felt that fewer applications have been made to date by persons who may be eligible to seek inclusion on the register in accordance with Section 22, I asked Mr Garret Fennell, Solicitor, who is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Admissions Board relevant to the register of Architects, to carry out an independent review of the experience to date in relation to the operation of the register with a view to identifying any further improvements that can be made at this point. Following the publication of Mr Fennell’s report on the matter last year, I understand that the RIAI, the designated registration body under Part 3 of the Building Control Act of 2007, has already made a number of modifications to the technical assessment process. My Department, in conjunction with the RIAI as registration body, will be happy to liaise with interested parties in relation to the ongoing development of registration arrangements in line with the recommendations made by Mr Fennell or as otherwise reasonable and appropriate.