Vol. 334 No. 2
asked the Minister for the Environment when he expects the discussions regarding the administration of the national building regulations to be concluded; if he will indicate the method of administration envisaged; and if such a method will require amending legislation.
197.
asked the Minister for the Environment when he proposes to introduce legislation to provide for the legal administration of the draft building regulations which have been published by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together.
Before the building regulations can be brought into force it will be necessary to enact amending legislation to provide for a more flexible system of control to administer the regulations than that originally envisaged, also to enable the regulations to be used to promote energy conservation in building and to allow for the implementation of proposed EEC directives with implications for building control regulations. The preparation of the necessary legislation is well advanced and will be introduced as soon as possible with a view to having building regulations in force by 1983.
The proposed system of control to administer the regulations will be based on certification by approved certifiers, with certificates being lodged with local authorities for registration. These local authorities will be empowered to carry out checks as they consider necessary to monitor satisfactorily the effectiveness of the control system. They will also be empowered to order work to be stopped, altered or pulled down where they are satisfied that a contravention of the regulations will have implications for public health and safety.
A draft proposal for a system of control on these lines was circulated in September 1981 to interested bodies. Discussions subsequently took place with a number of these bodies. Most of these discussions have been completed but some further bodies have only very recently requested meetings and these will be held in the near future. The control system is being reviewed in the light of submissions received and a redraft is being finalised.
