I welcome the Minister of State Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Peter Burke. He is here every day. I call Senator Garvey on the first Commencement matter.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Property Registration
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, for coming to the Chamber on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, whose remit is housing specifically. We all know it is an issue and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is working on it, and possibly the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, as well. I wanted to invite the Minister to the House to ask him what we can do about ensuring that all Airbnbs are registered and have applied for change of use if they have gone from a long-term living property to Airbnb short-term rental, as is the statutory requirement.
I draw the Minister of State's attention to figures I gleaned from Airbnb and Daft.ie. I put in 16 October and looked up Ennistymon, one of the closest towns to where I live. There were 627 places for Airbnb but in all of County Clare, there were only 36 places to rent.
To be clear, Airbnb has a very important part to play in the tourism sector but at the same time, we need to find a balance between people having places to live and tourists having places to stay. What we saw happening in County Clare was that businesses could not stay open because they could not get the staff. They could not get the staff because the staff had no place to live. Airbnb, as a concept, works. I see best practice in other jurisdictions and even in Dublin, where we have seen some restrictions brought in - at the very least, to make sure they are all legal. That balances the books a bit more.
If, in many cases, second and third homes are being used as short-term rentals for two or three nights all year-round - there were 627 cases in County Clare - then we are doing a disservice to people on the housing list who are looking for a place to live. We have a huge housing crisis. We have a lot to do around building new houses, but we all know there are thousands of houses that could be homes if they were not Airbnbs.
As I said, Airbnb, as a concept, works, especially if it is a room in your house. I know the company itself is not obliged to ensure any house it is advertising is legally an Airbnb. Maybe people do not know, but if you are advertising your house as an Airbnb, you must have done so by getting permission from county council. What does the Minister of State hope to do about this? I have raised the issue for the last few years, since I became a Senator. It is a huge issue where I live and I am sure we are not unique. If you do not have any Airbnb restrictions, then you see a serious problem with a lack of houses. I would like to see that dealt with.
On rent pressure zones, RPZs, I have engaged with the director of services for housing, with many housing bodies and with my colleagues in the Green Party on this. It is not a made up issue that I think we will resolve overnight. The current algorithm the Government is using for RPZs is not fit for purpose. For example, County Clare has no RPZs and yet we have a huge housing issue. The two things are the rent pressure zones and the algorithm not being fit for purpose. It might work in very high-density places, such as areas of Dublin, but if you take the whole of County Clare and put it into the same algorithm, it does not represent what is happening on the ground in towns like Ennis and Ennistymon, which might be very popular places and face huge demand. Without the rent pressure zones being spread out across the county, we are failing to turn many houses into homes.
On Airbnbs, the company itself and the list of Airbnbs online, we need to get someone to look at that and to enforce the rules most people are obeying. Some people are doing it by the book. If we can get that done, maybe some people might think that they should not be doing Airbnb and that perhaps they should be renting it out as a home, to give people a home.
I thank the Senator. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, has four minutes to reply.
I thank the Acting Chairperson and thank Senator Garvey for raising this very important Commencement matter.
To provide some background, legislative reforms to regulate the short-term letting sector through the planning code in areas designated as RPZs were introduced under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019, which came into effect on 1 July 2019. The aim of the legislation was to return much-needed accommodation being used for short-term letting purposes in the designated RPZs to the long-term rental market, thereby increasing supply in the long-term rental market and helping to stabilise rents in those areas. Given that short-term letting accommodation is technically tourism-related accommodation and the regulation of such accommodation is more appropriate to the tourism sector, the Government's housing plan, Housing for All, contains a specific action, Action 20.4, to "Develop new regulatory controls requiring short-term and holiday lets to register with Fáilte Ireland with a view to ensuring that houses are used to best effect in areas of housing need". This will take the regulation of short-term letting accommodation out of the planning code.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Fáilte Ireland have lead responsibility for developing and delivering the new legislation in this regard with input from my Department, given its involvement in framing the pre-existing short-term letting legislation. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has engaged extensively with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to progress this action. A number of meetings have been held between officials of both Departments and with Fáilte Ireland and further engagement is expected to take place.
As an interim measure, and pending the establishment of the Fáilte Ireland registration system, which is due to come into operation in 2023, provision was included in the recently enacted Planning and Development, Maritime and Valuation (Amendment) Act 2022 to update and strengthen the existing provisions on short-term letting operated through the planning code. This also makes them more enforceable. This will be supplemented by regulations before they can come into effect.
These new regulatory controls on the short-term letting sector will be in place for an initial period of six months, during which time it is envisaged the Department with responsibility for tourism and Fáilte Ireland will work towards the establishment of the registration system as was committed to in Housing for All.
This measure essentially provides for an initial six month period which may be extended for a further six months subject to positive resolutions by both Houses of the Oireachtas. Non-principal private residences in rent pressure zones shall not be advertised or accept bookings on online platforms or other media for short-term letting purposes without the necessary planning permission for such use in place in respect of the property concerned unless the property concerned is otherwise exempted.
My Department is engaging with the relevant stakeholder groups on the detailed operational arrangements that will apply to the proposed measure to be incorporated in the required supplementary regulations. It is intended to conclude the consultation process shortly. My Department is also engaging with the European Commission on the legislation under the notification requirements of the directive on technical regulations and rules on information society services, TRIS. That engagement is ongoing.
The rent predictability measure was introduced in 2016 to measure rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. Measures were introduced in July 2021 to extend the operation of these rent pressure zones, RPZs, until the end of 2024. Legislation is also in place to ensure that rent reviews in RPZs can only take place on an annual basis and until 2025 rent increases outside of RPZs can occur no more frequently than bi-annually. This provides rent certainty for tenants outside of RPZs for a minimum of two years at a time. From 11 December 2021, a cap of 2% per annum pro rata will apply on rent increases in RPZs where the inflation rate is higher than that. In all cases, section 19(1) of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2022, RTA, prohibits the setting of a rent that exceeds market rent.
Section 24(a) of the RTA provide that the Housing Agency in consultation with housing authorities may make a proposal to the Minister that an area should be considered an RPZ. Following receipt of such a proposal, the Minister requests the director of the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, to conduct an assessment of the area to establish whether or not it meets the criteria for designation and to report back to him if it should be included as an RPZ.
There is some very positive news there. What is the timeframe? When does the Fáilte Ireland six months start? When is that kicking off? It is very good news.
I understand the rent caps in rent pressure zones. That is brilliant. When can that be spread out to other places? A landlord in Ennistymon is increasing rent from €600 to €1,100 and has given the tenants two months' notice. It is not only an issue in rent pressure zones. Can the Minister clarify the last point he made? It sounds like we could make a case for Clare or areas of Clare to become an RPZ. Is that what he is saying? I will follow up on that.
The Department has increased enforcement controls in the recent legislation. That is currently with the European Commission, so we can finalise the regulations to underpin that legislation. The Housing Agency adjudicates on rent pressure zones so anyone can make a case for an area to be included in the RPZs but it must meet the strict criteria laid down under the Act. It can go through that process.
What was the Senator's third point?
If the algorithm of the RPZ is not changed, my area will not fit into the criteria.
The increases must be measured on a consistent basis, month on month.
When does the six month period start?
The six months will start once the engagement with the Commission is finished. That relates to the current legislation and obviously negotiations are concluding with the Minister with responsibility for tourism in relation to Fáilte Ireland because that is the game-changer-----
Yes, that is brilliant.
-----for having the robust controls which will ensure a balance in the long-term residential rental market.
Fire Safety
I extend a warm welcome to the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Calleary. It is great to see him in the House and I congratulate him on his appointment. I know I join with all colleagues across this House in wishing him well in the future. I thank him for coming to the House to take this Commencement matter in the name of Senator Ahearn relating to the review of Ireland's furniture fire regulations.
I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, to the Chamber. It is my first opportunity to congratulate him on his new role and position. I thank him for taking this Commencement matter. I acknowledge the good work he and his Department did last week in regard to the budget and supporting business over what is going to be an uncertain time during the winter months.
I had a meeting a number of weeks ago with Mr. Patrick Fox from the Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, BSEF, on fire regulations. The BSEF is based in Brussels but works in regulations throughout Europe. There is an opening in Ireland, essentially because of Brexit, and our Irish fire furniture regulations might be changing. We are in a position at the moment where our current regulations are very much in line with the UK. They are very safe and very good and there are many restrictions in place for furniture that can be produced and sold in Ireland. The fear is the regulations might change to be more in line with the EU. The worry with that is that research has shown that regulations within the EU and the US are not to the same standard as those of Ireland and the UK. There is a worry that because we are part of the European Union and Brexit has happened, we will try to move more in line with EU regulations. There is certainly a fear from the sector and the industry that that might be a bad thing.
This is really to get some clarity from the Minister of State's and the Department's perspective on where and how this is going and whether open dialogue and consultation between both sides can continue while that process is happening. There are a couple of things the industry wanted to get across on the regulations in place at the moment. It is its understanding that the intention is to review the furniture fire regulations but that any updates to Ireland's regulations should continue to guarantee current high fire safety levels through the comprehensive legislation, the robust standards and the stringent testing regimes, including the import of furniture from third countries. The Irish regulations and standards are based on those of the UK and are deemed to be almost identical by standards experts. The fire fatality rate for the UK and Ireland is approximately half of that of continental Europe and the USA. A defining characteristic is testing of furniture materials with both a smouldering and open flame ignition. It found the changes to testing regimes in the US, such as removing the open flame testing, suggested an increase in domestic fire mortalities and, therefore, advised caution with any of these reviews.
I do not know if the Minister of State has had an opportunity to see a visual representation of two rooms, one done to EU and US regulations and another done to UK and Irish regulations, where a fire is started at the same time in both rooms and to see how quickly one room develops into a terrible situation while in the other room, the fire progresses but at a much slower rate, giving a much better chance for people to vacate the room and the building. It is a genuine concern from its perspective but I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response.
I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, who has four minutes to respond.
I thank the Acting Chairperson and Senator Ahearn for their good wishes. I look forward to working with Seanad Éireann as much as possible in my new role. I thank Senator Ahearn for the opportunity to provide an update on the important matter of the review of Irish furniture fire regulations.
I thank Senator Ahearn for the opportunity to provide an update on the important matter of the review of Irish furniture fire regulations. My Department undertook public consultation on the current Irish furniture fire regulations in 2019, which was subsequently extended to April 2020 owing to complications arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of the consultation was to examine the scope of the regulations, their enforceability and the effectiveness of the testing regime.
As the Senator has said, in the area of furniture fire safety, there are no harmonised EU regulations. In Ireland, SI 316/1995 Industrial Research and Standards (Fire Safety) (Domestic Furniture) Order, 1995 and Irish Standard 419:2011 set levels of fire resistance for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings, and other products that contain upholstery in the interests of fire safety. These are collectively known as the Irish furniture fire regulations.
The Irish standards and regulations were introduced to protect consumers by preventing the rapid spread of a fire started on or near furniture. The regulations specify that use of flame retardants to hinder the spread of fire and furniture must meet the requirements for resistance to cigarettes and match ignition. As the Senator has said, the Irish regulations set out a more robust safety standard that applies in other EU member states in order to provide a high level of safety in this area. The Irish furniture fire regulations have been on the Statute Book for over 25 years, and since then, there have been several developments that may have a bearing on their current suitability, including changes in consumer expectations and in furniture manufacturing practices.
My Department received numerous supplies to the consultation. Due to competing realities including the response to pandemic and work another priority legislation, progress on the assessment of submissions was delayed. Analysis of the submissions has, however, resumed and these replies are now being studied in detail in order to form the basis of recommendations on the future of the Irish furniture fire regulations.
I expect this process to be completed in the near future. I will be more than happy if the Senator wishes arrived to me to have his feedback included in the process. I will happily inform the Senator and the House when I have an update in this regard.
There is an understandable fear when reviews are put in place that changes could be made when we recognise that Irish safety standards are more robust than those that apply in other EU states. What we want to do is maintain that. It is true that there have been changes in consumer expectations and furniture manufacturing practices. That has to be recognised and changes have to be made but we need to stick by the same kind of safety standards that we have at the moment, that is the most important thing. I look forward to working with the Minster of State on this to make sure that it is done correctly and to ensure that the voices of people with an interest in this issue from a safety perspective are heard.
I want to assure the Senator that the consultation assessment is finalising at the moment. We will be back with proposals. I extend the invitation to him to submit his remarks to me and I will forward them on to the relevant officials.
Medicinal Products
I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I am disappointed not to see the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, this afternoon. At this stage, no one needs the background to this debacle which has been ongoing since the start of the year and has been raised multiple times in both Houses. I spoke on it on the Order of Business in June and again in September when we realised that the HSE's corporate pharmaceutical unit had held no meetings with Vertex Pharmaceuticals over the summer recess, with the last meeting held on 4 July.
The two parties met again on Friday, 16 September, and a spokesperson for Vertex informed me that the HSE has made no explicit movement away from its current position that Vertex will need to submit a full health technology assessment, HTA, dossier to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics for this patient population.
Campaigners for these children have repeatedly called for the red tape not to be wrapped around Kaftrio because this is guaranteed to lead to decisions being postponed and access delayed to this life-saving and life-changing drug therapy. Why is the HSE's corporate pharmaceutical unit, CPU, insisting that Kaftrio, which is already being administered to children and adults alike in Ireland - and to children in other countries with the specific gene mutation found in these 35 children - undergo a full HTA prior to reaching a pricing agreement? Vertex maintains that it has put forward several solutions that would allow rapid access for the 35 children. The HSE remains set on the submission of a HTA while Vertex remains committed to finding a quick solution for access for the 35 children currently impacted.
All of this is from Vertex's side, but only because we have heard so little from the HSE, which is not unusual. We have heard so little from it that I had to submit a freedom of information request to try to see what was being said. I was told it would cost at least €700 to fill it. I am still trying to see what information we can get, if any.
Would the Minister of State care to update the House but, most importantly, the families of the 35 children, as to what progress the HSE is seeking to make in its negotiations with Vertex, beyond "Do what we say". To my knowledge, to date neither the Minister nor the representatives of the HSE's CPU, have met with Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, which is leading the campaign to secure this medication. Vertex, however, met with it at the European cystic fibrosis conference in Rotterdam on 10 June. From where we stand, the efforts to resolve this pricing dispute seem very one sided. Perhaps there is something in the Minister of State's speech that can set the record straight. I look forward to hearing from him what the Minister for Health has got to say.
I thank Senator Keogan for raising this issue. Cystic fibrosis is a devastating disease for patients and their families. With Ireland having one of the highest per capita rates of cystic fibrosis in the world, many of us will have been affected by the sadness it can cause for families. Access to effective treatments offers hope to those suffering from this disease, and I aim to make this possible for every patient who needs it.
Kaftrio has been a life-changing drug for cystic fibrosis sufferers. Access to drugs like this was what we expected when the HSE signed the agreement with its manufacturer, Vertex, in 2017. The deal stipulated that our patients would have access to Vertex's entire portfolio of cystic fibrosis drugs for a capped yearly cost. We made a ten-year commitment that has already seen us pay hundreds of millions of euro to Vertex. We entered this agreement in good faith, expecting that as new licences were approved for its medicines, the HSE would receive access at no additional cost. This has been the case previously when new indications were licensed. The agreement was amended in 2019 and 2020 to include these patient groups at no additional cost. However, for this particular subtype, affecting a small group of children, Vertex is requesting additional funds to provide access.
The HSE has statutory responsibility for the community drug schemes. It has structures in place to ensure that our health service is able to provide the right care sustainably. Its CPU has engaged extensively with Vertex - holding ten meetings - to try to see this patient group included in our pre-existing agreement. Considering the significant budgetary impact of the additional resources Vertex is requesting, it must engage with the pricing and reimbursement process that all other medicines are required to undergo.
The HSE continues to engage proactively with Vertex, having met as recently as 16 September, hoping to better understand why the company has chosen to take this position.
The Government is committed to providing access to innovative new medicines for patients, and budgets 2021 and 2022 saw €80 million in funding dedicated to new medicines. A total of 90 new medicines, or the expanded use of existing medicines, were made available by this funding, 21 of which related to the treatment of rare diseases.
I thank Cystic Fibrosis Ireland for its efforts in bringing attention to this matter. The event it held outside Leinster House last month helped raise awareness among the public and my colleagues in the Oireachtas. The dedication of the organisation's members is admirable. We share the common goal of making this drug available to the children who need it, and the Minister is eager to gain their insight on possible routes to a solution. To that end, his office has been in contact with them to arrange a meeting in the coming weeks and he looks forward to hearing their ideas and making progress on this issue.
As Senator Keoghan outlined, access for these 35 children and their families has been denied. I hope that through all the various stakeholders, the Minister's office, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, the pharmaceutical companies and perhaps even the Senator, we can get a resolution to this difficult and complex issue.
Somebody is telling lies here. I understand that Vertex has agreed a price with the Department since the original pricing was given in 2019, yet the Department is saying otherwise. That is why I submitted a freedom of information, FOI, request on this. I wanted to see the correspondence. Vertex has told me it has tried to negotiate with the Department on this. It has given many pricing options and it reverted to the original agreement that was made.
The Minister of State's prepared reply is nothing; it is rubbish. The Department has left 35 children without this drug that is vital to their care. It is a matter of life or death. I know how important it is because I have seen many young people, particularly girls, die from cystic fibrosis early in life, but the Department is prepared to gamble with their lives and tell them they need to submit an assessment. It is not good enough, certainly not for those families, and the Department cannot gamble with those children's lives.
It is worth pointing out, in the interest of being impartial, that the Minister of State has come to the table here in good faith. He is well able to speak for himself, but we do not tend to suggest in the Chamber that people are telling lies-----
I said "somebody" was telling lies-----
That is fair enough but-----
I said "somebody" was telling lies. I have been-----
The Senator has made her point and we accept it-----
Absolutely, but somebody is telling lies here. This reply is not correct according to the information I have been receiving from Vertex, the pharmaceutical company.
I appreciate that, but I am conscious it is important to protect all sides in the House and the Minister of State has come to the House in good faith.
I fully appreciate the severity of cystic fibrosis and acknowledge the fears and frustrations of families affected by the situation. I also acknowledge the Senator's bona fides in regard to this difficult matter. The HSE will continue to engage with Vertex and I am hopeful this situation can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion for everyone. She stated that a price has been agreed with the Department and I will convey that to officials because my notes, which were provided by the Department, suggest otherwise. Obviously, there is a difference of opinion and I will try to clarify that as quickly as possible.
The HSE has statutory responsibility for medicine pricing and reimbursement decisions, as given to it under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. It is making every effort to fulfil its responsibility and has indicated that progress on this issue will require a similar effort from Vertex. The Senator has brought some issues and information to the table, and I will bring them back to the Department.
I thank the Minister of State and appreciate him taking the matter.
Defective Building Materials
We are all aware of the devastating consequences of the mica situation on homeowners in County Donegal and other affected counties and we know this will cost the taxpayer billions of euro to put right. We also know that the State will and must pursue those responsible where possible. However, the proposed concrete levy punishes many who had no part in this. All concrete manufacturers fully recognise the devastation caused to affected homeowners arising from damage to block work in their homes. However, the overwhelming majority of concrete manufacturers were not directly involved in this issue. Many concrete manufacturing operations fall entirely outside the housing sector yet all concrete manufacturers providing products to all construction sectors will be affected by the proposed new levy.
Two wrongs do not make a right. Apart from the fact that the introduction of a levy on concrete products will lead to further upward pressure on the cost of building houses, potentially to the tune of €3,000 or more per unit, the introduction of a levy could lead to further cost inflation across all sectors of construction in this country, including schools, hospitals, nursing homes, the farming sector, energy facilities, sports venues, transport infrastructure and commercial and industrial developments.
A levy applied to concrete products for export will have a devastating impact on the viability of Irish concrete exporters. Irish pre-cast concrete manufacturers export approximately €150 million worth of product to the UK each year. These Irish exporters are already dealing with the spiralling cost of raw materials, increased labour costs, Brexit-related costs and currency fluctuations. The levy could effectively close the UK market to these Irish exporters with knock-on effects for the workforce. Conversely, concrete products manufactured outside the Republic of Ireland will not be subject to this levy leading to an unfair advantage for imported products.
In Border counties such as Monaghan and Cavan, competitively priced imported products exempted from the levy would replace locally produced concrete products with obvious implications for employment. Jobs will be lost. Local companies compete with other manufacturers north of the Border, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. Imposing a 10% levy will effectively result in a competitive disadvantage compared with other imported systems on the market. Concrete manufacturers with contracts in place for 2023 and beyond now face a loss-making scenario with the impact on the viability of many businesses within the supply chain. Local companies with hundreds of employees in the Border counties of Monaghan, Cavan and Meath are frightened by the defective concrete levy and insist they cannot absorb the proposed 10% increase. They see that tight margins mean they have no choice but to pass this on to the consumer in order to remain viable. Local companies that are proud of the reputation they have developed over many years of hard work have been receiving calls from long-standing clients in the UK questioning the integrity and quality of products they manufacture in light of the negative publicity that has surrounded the news of this levy. Companies also face a dilemma with regard to no contract pending and the potential for this levy to make such contracts unviable.
The cost of the mica redress scheme will be enormous. However, this levy as it currently stands is unfair and could do more damage to local industries and create unemployment in the Border region. For that reason, I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, to facilitate a meeting with the relevant stakeholders and officials from his Department to discuss this issue.
I thank the Senator for raising this issue.
He spoke to me before we arrived in the Chamber to discuss the matter, and I appreciate his efforts to highlight the issue.
The Minister for Finance announced the introduction of a levy on pouring concrete, concrete blocks and certain other concrete products used in the construction of buildings in his budget 2023 speech. This follows a Government decision of November 2021 which approved an enhanced redress scheme for householders impacted by the use of defective concrete products in the construction of their homes. The Government decision also agreed to the development of a levy whereby the construction industry would make a contribution to go some way to offset the significant cost of the defective concrete block-mica redress scheme, which is currently estimated at €2.7 billion, or of the order of €1,500 for every household in the country. The levy will apply at a rate of 10% on concrete blocks, pouring concrete and certain other concrete products. It will apply from 3 April 2023 and will be levied at the point of first supply. It is important to note that the levy will not apply to all concrete products. The levy will be placed on concrete blocks and ready-to-pour concrete; in addition, it will apply to a small number of other concrete products used in the construction of buildings. Further detail of the levy and the specific products it will apply to will be set out in the Finance Bill 2022, when that is published on 20 October.
The Minister for Finance was conscious, when developing the levy, of balancing the need to ensure some of the costs of the redress scheme are met from a source other than the Exchequer with limiting the impact on inflation and the construction sector. The levy would have to be set at a much higher rate to cover all the costs associated with the redress scheme.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage commissioned a bottom-up scientific analysis carried out by an independent construction economics cost consultant on the potential impacts of the levy. Taking account of variables involved, it is estimated that the impact of the levy on construction costs will be between €800 and €1,600 for a typical three-bed semi-detached house or €700 to €1,100 for a sixth-floor apartment block with basement. For a typical dwelling, this is an increase of approximately 0.4% to 0.9% in cost. Other figures have been quoted by many people but I have been contacted by a person heavily involved in the construction industry who is, as we speak, building houses for the private sector, local authorities and the approved housing body sector. He said it is of the order of €1,500, which tallies with these figures, though much higher figures are being quoted.
I acknowledge the comments by the Senator on contact with the Department of Finance before this matter is finalised and enacted through the Oireachtas. I look forward to the Senator contacting my office to facilitate such a communication process.
While the levy is focused on ensuring industry makes a contribution towards the cost of redress, it is not the only action the Government is taking in this regard. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is committed to establishing an independent building standards regulator to strengthen the oversight role of the State with the aim of further reducing the risk of building failures and enhancing public confidence in construction-related activity.
I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response to Senator Gallagher's Commencement matter. The Senator has one minute.
I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response and for accepting my request that his Department officials meet with the relevant stakeholders to address this issue. We have a window of approximately two to three weeks before the finance Bill is finalised. That is an opportunity for all to sit down and have a comprehensive discussion on this.
I am here today because I have been approached by a number of businesses in the Border region with serious concerns about the way this has been reported and as to how it will affect their viability. It could result in job losses in the Border region. Doing business at the best of times is difficult and at this time it is extremely difficult. Doing business in the Border area is a further complication.
I ask the Minister of the State to take on board the concerns of these employers.
I again thank the Senator for raising this issue. Not only have I listened carefully but I will also ensure that the officials in the Department who are dealing with drawing up the specific details take on board and fully note everything that has been said during our conversation in the House, especially that relating to the Border region.
As I said, the levy is not the only action the Government is taking. I highlighted a review by senior counsel that will take place and the Government is committed to the establishment of an independent building standards regulator. The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 provides for the State to take over a legal right of claim against the defective blocks in a relevant dwelling against any party, including the insurance company or the original suppliers. This will allow the State to pursue claims against wrongdoers and remove the burden from individual homeowners in respect of this situation.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which will be fully taken into consideration by the Department.
I thank the Minister of State for comprehensively covering that issue.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 3.16 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 3.32 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 3.16 p.m. and resumed at 3.32 p.m.