I propose to take Questions Nos. 369 and 392 together.
I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 544 and 554 of 28 January 2014 which comprehensively addressed the concerns raised by the Irish Association of Self-builders. The new Building Control Amendment Regulations which come into operation on 1 March 2014 will greatly strengthen the arrangements currently in place for the control of building activity by requiring greater accountability in relation to compliance with Building Regulations in the form of statutory certification of design and construction, lodgement of compliance documentation, mandatory inspections during construction and validation and registration of certificates. The new regulations are necessary following the widespread instances of failure by owners, designers and builders to comply with their statutory obligations under the Building Control Act 1990 to design and construct buildings in accordance with the building regulations. These obligations apply to all sectors of the housing market, including the self-build sector. An extensive public consultation process was undertaken in 2012 to inform the development of the regulations. The consultation document Strengthening the Building Control System - A Document to inform public consultation on Draft Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2012 set out the context in which the reforms – as later signed into law last year, following some technical amendments, in S.I. No. 9 of 2014 - will operate and the regulatory impact of these for building owners and industry stakeholders. This document is still available on my Department's website.
