Vol. 564 No. 1
135 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps he intends to take to ensure that all local authorities carry out inspections of new houses and apartments under the building regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8749/03]
The Building Control Act 1990 assigns responsibility for complying with the building regulations primarily to the owners, designers and builders of the buildings involved. Under the 1990 Act, the role of local building control authorities is to monitor buildings for compliance with the building regulations.
My Department and the City and County Managers Association have adopted a target of inspecting a representative sample of buildings, currently equivalent to at least 12% to 15% of buildings covered by valid commencement notices served on each building control authority. Within that overall target, priority is given to building works that are the subject of any complaints and buildings used by large numbers of people, including: buildings of public resort, including offices, hotels and cinemas; multi-storey buildings, including apartment blocks; and institutional buildings, including hospitals and nursing homes. I intend to ask the City and County Managers Association to give higher priority to inspecting new houses, within the overall target level of inspections, in the interest of first time purchasers.
Local authorities also issue fire safety certificates for new non-residential buildings and new apartment blocks certifying that, if the relevant buildings are constructed in accordance with the plans lodged with the authority, they will comply with Part B – fire safety – of the building regulations.
