Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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137. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the current fire regulations that have to be adhered to in the construction of family homes here and what checks are in place to ensure compliance with those regulations. [17408/16]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Part B of the Building Regulations 1997 (as amended) sets out the legal requirements in relation to fire safety in respect of new buildings and in respect of existing buildings undergoing works involving an extension, material alteration or a material change of use. The requirements under Part B represent the national statutory minimum standards of fire safety provision applicable to the construction of new buildings, including dwellings.

My Department publishes technical guidance documents to assist those involved in the design and construction of buildings with regard to compliance with the Building Regulations. In the case of fire safety, where works are carried out in accordance with the national guidance provided in Technical Guidance Document B – Fire Safety (2006), this will, prima facie, indicate compliance with the fire safety requirements set out in the Building Regulations. It is also open to designers to use alternative approaches, premised on the use of fire safety engineering principles, to meet fire safety requirements provided compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations can be demonstrated.

Primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings.Implementation and enforcement of the building control system is a matter for the 31 local building control authorities.

The Building Regulations are subject to continuous review and improvement in the light of technical progress, changes in standards and construction practices as well as developments within the construction industry. In this context, a review of Part B of the Building Regulations is now at an advanced stage within my Department; it is anticipated that a public consultation in the matter will be announced shortly.

In response to the many building failures that have emerged over the past decade, my Department introduced the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 which require greater accountability in relation to compliance with Building Regulations in the form of statutory certification of design and construction by registered construction professionals and builders, lodgement of compliance documentation, mandatory inspections during construction and validation and registration of certificates.

Statutory certificates of compliance, where relevant, must be given at commencement (design only) and completion and must be signed by a registered construction professional (i.e. an Architect or a Building Surveyor or a chartered Engineer who is included on a statutory register maintained respectively by the Royal Institution of Architects of Ireland, the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland or Engineers Ireland). The statutory certificate of compliance on completion must also be signed by the builder.

In effect, the statutory Certificate of Compliance on Completion certifies that a building is compliant with all relevant requirements of the Building Regulations, including the fire safety requirements set out in Part B and the accompanying technical guidance.

The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 were reviewed following their first 12 months in operation. It is clear from this review that the recent reforms have brought a new order and discipline to bear on construction projects. I am confident that as the transition to the new arrangements for the control of building activity continues to progress, these reforms will in time prove capable of transforming the culture of the construction industry in Ireland to one of improved compliance and quality.