Vol. 577 No. 3
537 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government his views on the monitoring and enforcement of the building regulations and the Building Control Act 1990; and if he has satisfied himself with compliance by developers and builders in this area. [30715/03]
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 and to institute enforcement action, where appropriate. The City and County Managers Association has adopted a target of inspecting a representative sample of buildings, currently expressed as at least 12% to 15% of buildings covered by valid commencement notices served on each building control authority. My Department has consistently encouraged local authorities to enforce building regulations actively. The appointment of building control officers has been sanctioned. FÁS, in partnership with Offaly County Council, has developed a customised training course and computer software for building control officers. Building control fees have been substantially increased to make adequate funds available for local enforcement. My Department will continue to remind building control authorities of the need to achieve and maintain the target level of inspections.
538 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government when he intends to introduce the Building Control Bill; and if he intends to publish discussion or policy documents in advance of the publication of the Bill. [30716/03]
I plan to introduce the Building Control Bill by mid-2004. I do not propose to publish any discussion or policy paper in advance of the planned legislation. However, in accordance with normal procedure, an explanatory memorandum will be published with the Bill and the relevant legislative proposals will be fully debated in both Houses of the Oireachtas.
