Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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61. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will initiate a fire safety audit on all multi-storey residential buildings constructed since 1992; and if he will confirm compliance with fire safety building regulations for all multi storey residential developments already undertaken. [33381/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department has overall responsibility for the statutory regulatory framework governing both Building Control and Fire Services. Inspection and enforcement are a matter for local authorities who, under the relevant legislation, are designated as Building Control and Fire Authorities in their respective functional areas and have extensive statutory powers of inspection and enforcement. Section 8(4) of the Building Control Act 1990 provides that a Building Control Authority may serve an Enforcement Notice requiring that such steps as are necessary to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations, including Part B – Fire Safety, be taken within a specified period. An Enforcement Notice may be served at any time up to five years from the completion of the Building Works.

Under the Fire Services Acts of 1981 and 2003 local authorities are designated as fire authorities in their respective functional areas and have extensive statutory powers of inspection and enforcement. Section 20 of the Act 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 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, unless or until specified precautions are taken to the satisfaction of the fire authority.

In response to the tragic fire in Grenfell Tower, the immediate focus of attention has been on life safety issues. In that context, I requested that each local authority, as a matter of urgency, review their multi-storey social housing units to ensure that all early warning systems, including alarm and detection systems and means of escape including corridors, stairways and emergency exits are in place and fully functional.

In order to raise awareness amongst private landlords, including landlords of households in receipt of social housing supports and rental assistance, the Residential Tenancies Board has been asked to remind all landlords of their statutory responsibilities and obligations as landlords to ensure that their properties fully comply with fire safety requirements. The RTB placed a notice to this effect on its website and is writing individually to all registered landlords providing detailed information.

A Building Control Management System (BCMS) alert was issued to all registered users of the BCMS to remind those involved in works to existing or new buildings of the need to remain vigilant in relation to compliance with the Building Regulations and in particular to Part B Fire Safety. The 57,000 registered users include builders, assigned certifiers, designers and owners.

I have also tasked the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management with co-ordinating a high-level Task Force to lead Ireland’s re-appraisal of fire safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. The actions involved include the following:

- The preliminary survey of the use of cladding products on residential buildings over 18m (6 storeys) being undertaken by fire services in Dublin is to be extended to the rest of the country and to cover buildings in all categories over 18m in height. The results to be reported to my Department by 19 July in relation to residential buildings, and by 2 August in relation to other buildings.

- My Department is to meet with the local authority Chief Fire Officers in the coming weeks to review current activities and to plan for further fire safety initiatives in prioritised areas of action.

- Responsibility for fire safety in buildings of all kinds (other than dwellings) is placed by Section 18 (2) of the Fire Services Act 1981 on the ‘person having control’ of each building. In order to assist those in both the public and private sector who hold this responsibility, consideration is being given to the publication of a guide on undertaking Fire Safety Assessments as provided for in Section 18 (6)(a) of the Act. This will facilitate persons having control of buildings to demonstrate that they are complying with their statutory responsibilities.

The Task Force will be the main vehicle to monitor the situation and arrange necessary steps. This will include considering further information that emerges from the United Kingdom on factors contributing to the Grenfell Tower fire, which will inform regulatory arrangements for ensuring effective and balanced fire safety standards and approaches in this country.