Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 7 September 2018
1395. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the fire safety task force established after the Grenfell Tower fire disaster submitted its report; if he has considered the conclusions and recommendations of same; the necessary actions to be taken on foot of the report to ensure fire safety with regard to high rise developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36516/18]
View answerOn 27 June 2017, following the fire in London’s Grenfell Tower, and in recognition of concerns arising for fire safety in Ireland, I tasked my Department’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management with convening and co-ordinating a high-level task force to lead a re-appraisal of fire safety in Ireland.
In addition to this, and in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, I instructed local authorities to undertake a review of fire safety in medium-to-high rise buildings fitted with cladding systems. I asked the task force to oversee and report on this initial action, as well as, among other things, reviewing existing arrangements and systems for fire safety and related issues which impact on fire safety in Ireland.
The work of the task force has now been completed and it has provided me with a full report, titled “Fire Safety in Ireland: Report of the Fire Safety Task Force”, which describes its work, its conclusions on the state of fire safety in Ireland and its recommendations for moving forward.
I have accepted the task force’s recommendations, and its report was brought to Government on 6 June 2018.
With regard to the review of medium-to-high rise buildings, fire authorities were asked to identify buildings in their functional areas of more than six storeys, or more than 18 metres in height. In cases where the buildings identified are fitted with external cladding systems, fire authorities were asked to consider if use of powers under section 18(6) of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003 – to require the person having control over the building to carry out a fire safety assessment of the premises and provide the assessment to the fire authority – was warranted. The most recent figures provided by fire authorities indicate:
- 842 buildings have been identified, countrywide, at this height,
- of these, 291 buildings are fitted with cladding systems,
- of these, fire authorities required fire safety assessments in 226 cases – 105 in residential buildings, and 121 in non-residential buildings,
- of these, 108 fire safety assessments have been received by fire authorities,
- of these, fire authorities are proposing further action in respect of fire safety in 19 buildings where fire safety concerns – not in all cases related to external cladding – have been identified.
This fire safety assessment work is on-going, and will be overseen by fire authorities and the National Directorate.
My Department issued guidance in December 2017 dealing with fire safety assessment of medium-to-high rise buildings with cladding systems, and including guidance on fire safety measures to be applied in buildings, pending completion of remedial works to cladding systems, where these are considered necessary.
By identifying a small number of buildings, so far, where remedial works were required, the review process undertaken is seen to have had a positive effect and to have made contributions to both enhancing fire safety in medium-to-high rise buildings, and also raising fire safety awareness among owners/ landlords with statutory fire safety responsibilities.
However, the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower highlights the critical importance of fire safety in buildings, and the need for sustained vigilance in this regard. The Task Force report makes a range of recommendations for improvements to fire safety in buildings, and to provision of fire services in Ireland and I have requested the Management Board of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management to carry through the recommendations of the report within my direct ambit and to oversee and report on the implementation of other recommendations.
Copies of both the Report and the Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations are available on my Department’s website at the following links:
Fire Safety Task Force Report:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/fire_safety_in_ireland_-_report_of_the_fire_safety_task_force.pdf .
Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/fire_safety_in_ireland_-_report_summary_of_conclusions_and_recommendations.pdf.
