Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2013
459. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding a mandatory building certification (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19086/13]
View answer463. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason he has excluded chartered architectural technologists from the list of competent assigned certifiers under the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2013 which are to come into effect in March 2014; if he will outline his response to correspondence from a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19144/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 459 and 463 together.
Section 6 of the Building Control Act 1990 provides for the making of building control regulations which, among other things, may require the submission to building control authorities of certificates of compliance with the requirements of the building regulations and may prescribe the designation of the persons or the classes of persons by whom certificates of compliance may be given.
With effect from 1 March 2014 the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2013 will require, among other things, that design drawings demonstrating compliance with the requirements of the second schedule to the Building Regulations be lodged with the local building control authority prior to commencement of works and that a registered professional be assigned to inspect the implementation of the design during construction so that he/she is in a position to certify the completed building for compliance with the requirements of the second schedule to the Building Regulations. The statutory certificates of completion underpinning the procedures outlined must be signed by a registered professional i.e. a person who is included on the statutory registers of architects or building surveyors maintained in accordance with parts 3 and 5 respectively of the Building Control Act 2007 or on the register of chartered engineers established under the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland (Charter Amendment) Act 1969.
Architects, Building Surveyors and Chartered Engineers are the construction professions typically involved in the design of construction works in Ireland and reference to these professions in regulation is entirely appropriate. It is open to persons, including members of the Architect’s Alliance of Ireland, the Group of Independent Architects of Ireland and the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, who possess the requisite experience and competence in the design and surveying of buildings to seek inclusion on either of the statutory registers of architects or building surveyors as established under Part 3 and Part 5 respectively of the Building Control Act 2007. Inclusion on either register will enable a person to sign statutory certificates of compliance as provided for under the new regulations when they come into effect on and from 1 March 2014.
I have recently asked Mr. Garrett Fennell, Solicitor, who is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Admissions Board relevant to the register of Architects, to carry out an independent review of the experience to date in relation to the operation of the register with a view to identifying any further improvements that can be made at this point. The terms of reference for the review specifically address the matter of how the registration of practically trained architects can be further encouraged and I look forward to any recommendations and views the review report may offer in this regard in the coming months.
