My Department does not lay down specific standards for construction of local authority housing other than a general requirement that the form of construction used should comply with the building regulations. These regulations set out the minimum legal requirements for building construction and apply equally to both private and local authority housing. The regulations do not place a restriction on the use of any particular method of construction or product, provided the performance requirements of the regulations are met, for example, in relation to thermal performance, structural stability, etc. It is a matter for building owners, designers and builders to ensure that their buildings comply with the regulations and to select the form of construction and product which best meets their needs in achieving this.
In order to assist local authorities in relation to the provision of rented local authority housing, my Department issued new social housing design guidelines last year which highlight the specific design features, requirements and standards, that have from experience, been found to be particularly relevant in the provision of social housing. It is of course open to a private house builder to adopt, as appropriate, some or any of the advice contained in these guidelines.
I understand that the standards of design and construction that apply to housing in this country generally compare favourably with international standards.
