Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 January 2024
269. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the additional resources he has provided to the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office, if any, to assist Clare homeowners affected by pyrite; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3629/24]
View answer270. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the full complement of staff and percentage of staff vacancies at the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3630/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 270 together.
The design and construction of buildings is regulated under the Building Control Acts 1990-2020. The Acts provide for the making of Building Regulations, Building Control Regulations and designates local authorities as building control authorities. The 31 local building control authorities have extensive powers of inspection and enforcement under the Building Control Acts and are independent in the use of their statutory powers.
The National Building Control & Market Surveillance Office (NBCMSO) provides centralised oversight, support and direction for the development, standardisation and implementation of Building Control, across the 31 local authorities, as an effective shared service through the five pillars of training, inspections, compliance support, IT enabler - Building Control Management System (BCMS) and Market Surveillance.
The NBCMSO is under the remit of Dublin City Council (DCC) as the Lead Authority, and its staff are direct employees of DCC. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which they are responsible.
My Department works closely the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and Dublin City Council to ensure that the NBCMSO is properly positioned and supported to provide an optimal shared service to the local authorities. In this context, a new governance structure has been established within County and City Management Association (CCMA) to provide a formal mechanism for reviewing the delivery of Building Control and Market Surveillance functions in local authorities. This includes the establishment of a National Steering Group, which met for the first time this month. The National Steering Group, of which my Department is a member, will be responsible for the agreement of the work programme, ensuring the availability of adequate resources and funding, and monitoring/reporting on progress and budgets etc.
Separately, the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Grant Scheme, as legislated for by the Oireachtas, is now up and running and will see significant investment by the State in addressing defects in houses in affected counties.
