State competency register of builders still to get off the ground four years after laws passed

The Construction Industry Register of Ireland (CIRI) is seeking to crack down on so-called 'cowboy builders'. File picture

A statutory register of builders to prove their competence has yet to be delivered, four years on from new laws being enacted.

Conor Sheehan, Labour’s housing spokesperson, has criticised the slow rollout of the Construction Industry Register of Ireland (CIRI), which is set to be overseen by the industry group, the Construction Industry Federation.

The Government first mooted plans to introduce a statutory competency register in 2014, with legislation passed in the Dáil in 2022.

When introduced, it will make it mandatory for companies involved in construction work to register, including construction firms, builders and tradespeople.

It has been estimated that up to 20,000 construction firms will be required to register with CIRI, when the statutory register eventually launches.

A voluntary register has been in place since 2014, with the Department of Housing estimating that there are “approximately 500 building and contracting entities” listed.

Mr Sheehan criticised the role of the CIF in overseeing the register, saying it should not be overseen by a lobby group.

Mr Sheehan said:

I’m not happy with the CIF running the show because the CIF running the show is effectively like asking Marlboro to regulate tobacco. 

"The regulator should not have skin in the game, the regulator should be independent.” 

The Labour TD suggested that an existing agency, such as the National Building Control Office, should instead be responsible for the oversight of CIRI.

“This thing is a bit of a chocolate fireguard. The idea that the lobby group would operate a register for regulating how its own members operate ... where's the transparency and accountability in that?”

The register is seeking to crack down on so-called “cowboy builders". 

Last year, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission wrote directly to nearly 3,000 traders to remind them of their legal obligations, after the CCPC nearly received 1,250 complaints.

Mr Sheehan said Ireland has a “bad history” in regulating the construction industry, citing issues surrounding defects in Celtic Tiger-era apartments and defective concrete blocks.

He said there should be a mandatory licensing system, similar to the UK, and if a company is found liable for breaking building regulations, they would be prevented from operating.

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In a statement, a spokesperson for CIF said they expected that the register would be launched in September.

The register itself is expected to be rolled out on a phased basis, with different divisions of the construction industry being expected to engage at different times.

“The first divisions launched are expected to be in a category of providers of residential dwellings: triplex and duplex buildings, housing developments of 10 or more and all apartment providers. Applicants have 12 months after each division launch to become registered,” a spokesperson for CIF said.

The spokesperson added that engagement has been ongoing with the construction sector about the register.