Vol. 534 No. 2
23 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when he expects to introduce proposed legislation to strengthen the enforcement powers of local building control authorities and the registration of the titles of the architect, building surveyor and quantity surveyor; the reason the legislation will not provide for the registration of builders and contractors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10159/01]
I would hope to introduce a Bill along the lines referred to by the Deputy towards the end of this year. The Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to disclose the details of the legislation, in advance of approval by the Government.
However, I can inform the House that the proposed legislation will not provide for the registration of builders or contractors. There are two basic reasons for this.
First, the forum for the construction industry has been unwilling, so far, to amend its draft proposals for the registration of contractors to make the operation of the registration system more independent of contractors. Second, the forum proposes that all public works contracts would only be awarded to registered contractors. Such a restriction could be anti-competitive and I understand that the forum may seek expert legal advice on its acceptability under national and EU law. The restriction could also inhibit entry of non-resident contractors into the Irish market. This would be contrary to the Government strategy of encouraging overseas contractors to augment domestic construction capacity by participating in the delivery of construction projects worth £22 billion contained in the National Development Plan 2000-2006.
