From left: Housing Committee Members, Deputy Barry Cowen, Senator Victor Boyhan, Deputy Eoin Ó Broin, Deputy Maria Bailey (chairwoman) and Deputy Pat Casey.
This afternoon.
Leinster House.
Cross party members of the Housing Committee launch a report on Building Standards, Building Controls & Consumer Protection that may help avoid another Priory Hall.
In yesterday’s Irish Times, Mr Ó Broin wrote:
In order for the building control system to be fully independent we have called for a Building Control and Consumer Protection Agency. It would work with local authorities to ensure consistency in application of building and fire safety regulations.
It would conduct research, hold the industry register and the BCMS. It would also deal with complaints and provide information for the public concerned about possible latent defects.
Alongside the new agency, the committee recommended significant changes to SI9. We felt strongly that the link between the certifiers and the developer/builder must be broken.
This would best be achieved by the local authority employing the certifiers directly alongside a greater level of independent local authority inspections.
The report also proposes a package of measures to ensure greater protection for homebuyers, including mandatory latent defects insurance and legislative reforms including transferable warranties and longer statues of limitations.
There was also a strong feeling in the committee that the State must accept its responsibility for the failures of the past. Priory Hall was only possible in the context of a badly designed and poorly reassured building control regime.
A more comprehensive redress scheme for those affected by historic defects must be put in place and our report outlined a number of possible funding options that could underpin such a scheme.
FIGHT!
Rollingnews
Yes, we need to have an independent person that certifiers the building work. We need to prevent this happening at during the build – rather than fix it years later!
legislation exists to prosecute the architects who signed off on defective properties but FG wont go after its buddies
True, plus, the insurance industry must be protected at all costs.
Here in Massachusetts every aspect of the work is inspected as you go along. Plumbing, electrical, drywall etc everything is inspected as the work is being done, then you have a final inspection once the work is completed. It seems to work well here.
nice
ohh look another quango, this totally won’t be completely useless and cost the state loads of money for 0 results.
I fully support inspectors from the LA checking every single property. And it would need to be every one and not some spot checking rubbish they do for the rental standards.
Just make it so that developers can be held responsible for the buildings they construct.
If they use cheap or poor substandard materials and the buildings are soon not fit for purpose, the developer pays for the refit or rebuild.
No committee, no meetings.
Job done.
Doesn’t work if the builders are limited liability companies that just go bust before anyone can claim, thats what happened with the pyrite scandal.