Vol. 547 No. 3
265 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps taken by his Department to ensure that book L of the building regulations is being implemented by the construction industry; and if houses and their specifications are examined to ensure compliance with those regulations. [3240/02]
Compliance with the building regulations, including part L, conservation of fuel and energy, is primarily a matter for the designers, builders and owners of the buildings involved. Enforcement of the regulations is the responsibility of the local building control authorities. I have consistently urged the relevant authorities to be active in enforcing building regulations and I have taken a number of measures to improve enforcement at local level including approving the creation of additional posts, where necessary, to allow building control officers and support staff to be appointed and increasing building control fees, with effect from 1 July 1998, to provide local funding for stricter enforcement.
These measures are yielding results. All the authorities have now appointed building control officers. About 90% of authorities are now carrying out inspections; and three quarters have reached the target level of inspection, 12% to 15 % of developments recommended in 1993 guidelines adopted by the City and County Managers' Association. The remaining authorities have given a commitment to early achievement of the target level.
