Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 February 2015
94. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide extra support to local enterprise offices in order to assist them to support small and medium-sized enterprises that are steel fabricators to achieve the new accreditation required by the European Union, thereby maintaining employment, and ensuring competition, in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8353/15]
View answerThe Construction Products Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 225 of 2013) were signed into law by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on 27 June 2013 to facilitate the application of the Construction Products Regulation (or CPR) in Ireland and providing for inspection of products on the Irish market by Local Authorities. These Regulations came into operation on 1 July 2013. Since July 2014 structural steelwork and aluminium now fall under the CPR and therefore must carry CE marking to demonstrate that they comply with the European Commission’s harmonised standard EN 1090-1:2009 which relates to the Execution of Steel Structures and Aluminium Structures. Under EN standard 1090, there are requirements for conformity assessment of structural components, which involves a number of steps that culminate in certification by a third party, known as a 'notified inspection body'. In Ireland, the certification role is performed by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
Information on the CPR itself and other building regulations can be found on the website of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government who have allocated responsibility for compliance with the CPR to the building control officers under the local authorities.
In view of the NSAI’s final certification role, and given the roles and responsibilities of other Departments and agencies, my Department has discussed the requirements of the CPR with the relevant Departments and agencies i.e. Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG), Department of Education and Skills, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) network and the NSAI.
The role of the LEOs is to provide information, guidance and assistance to small and micro firms, and to signpost these firms to other agencies or bodies where appropriate. Over the last few weeks some of the LEOs, in conjunction with the NSAI, have held four information workshops to date at various locations throughout the country to ensure that steel fabricators had full information about the requirements under the CPR. In addition, the NSAI hosted an information day for the LEOs network on 18th February, at which the NSAI outlined its certification role. Fifteen LEOs were represented.
Any training needs (e.g. welding courses) for steel fabricators arising from the CPR should be directed – in the first instance – to the local SOLAS office, Education and Training Board (ETB) or Institute of Technology (IT) which fall within the remit of the Department of Education and Skills. There may be scope to see what economies of scale might be achieved for companies seeking the same upskilling in the same area.
Any difficulty facing the small business sector is a concern. That is why I would encourage companies to pursue the information and guidance that is available through the DECLG website http://www.environ.ie/en/, the LEOs https://www.localenterprise.ie/ and the NSAI http://www.nsai.ie/, training avenues should be explored with SOLAS/ETBs/ITs for welding courses, and ultimately, CE marking certification can be organised through the NSAI for companies who have successfully implemented the requirements of the CPR.
