Vol. 536 No. 1
124 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if all local authorities have appointed an access officer; if not, if he will indicate the authorities which have not; if he has satisfied himself that section M of the building regulations is being fully implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13372/01]
Access officers have been appointed in each county council and county borough council. Compliance with part M of the building regulations is primarily a matter for the owners, designers and builders of the buildings involved. Building control authorities are responsible for monitoring and enforcement of compliance with the regulations. Since my appointment as Minister in 1997, I have urged local authorities to actively enforce all parts of the building regulations, including part M. In particular, my Department's circular letter BC 7/99 of 17 June 1999 specifically called for stricter enforcement of part M. I sanctioned the appointment of building control officers and increased building control fees to fund stricter local enforcement. At present, 85% of authorities are carrying out inspections. About two thirds of authorities have achieved the target level of inspection – 12%-15% of developments – and I told the remaining authorities that they must do so by 30 June 2001.
