John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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651. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of inspections carried out by fire officers in each local authority over the past five years, by county; the number of properties that have failed these inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31081/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Local authorities have extensive powers of inspection and enforcement under a range of legislation including the Building Control Act 1990, the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 and the Dangerous Substances Acts 1972 and 1979, all of which may be relevant in relation to fire safety arrangements in properties, other than those specifically excluded under the Acts.

Under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 local authorities are designated as fire authorities and overall details in relation to inspections and notices issued by fire services from 2011 up to 2015 are available on my Department's website at the link - 2016 information is currently being compiled and should be available shortly: www.housing.gov.ie/search/archived/current/sub-topic/statistics-fire-prevention/sub-type/fire/type/statistics?query.

Section 20 of the Fire Services Act, 1981 provides that the appropriate fire authority may serve a Fire Safety Notice on the owner or occupier of any building which appears to the authority to be a potentially dangerous building. Section 20(2)(a) of the Act provides that a Fire Safety Notice in relation to a building may prohibit the use of a building or part of a building for any of the purposes specified in the notice. Section 20(2)(b) of the Act provides that a Fire Safety Notice in relation to a building may prohibit the use of the building, or a specified part of the building, for any of the purposes specified in the notice unless or until specified precautions are taken to the satisfaction of the fire authority; whether by the provision in the building of specified appliances or fittings or by the execution of specified structural alterations or additions to the building, or by the removal from the building of furniture, furnishings, fittings or any other material or thing, or by the doing in relation to the building or its contents of any other thing whatsoever.

Section 20(6) of the Act provides that a Fire Safety Notice may specify a time-frame under which remedial actions, such as those set out above, must be completed. Failure to comply with the requirements of a Fire Safety Notice is an offence under the Act and any person found guilty may be subject to a range of penalties as set out in the Act.

Section 20(8) of the Act provides that each fire authority shall keep at its offices a register of Fire Safety Notices served by it and the register shall be open to inspection by any person at all reasonable times.  Information on the details of individual Fire Safety Notices served by local authorities are not held by my Department but may be obtained directly from the relevant local authority.