Department seeks new building authority to avoid defect scandals 

The Government’s Defective Concrete Blocks scheme offers grants of up to €420,000 per dwelling to repair or rebuild them

The issue of mica will see the State pay out €2.7bn to homeowners whose homes were built with crumbling blocks. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

The Department of Housing will seek to establish a Building Standards Regulatory Authority in a bid to avoid future building defect scandals.

It is envisaged that the authority would strengthen oversight of both the design and construction of buildings, including the marketing and use of construction products, and it is hoped that it will reduce the risk of future building failures and recurring defects such as the pyrite and  mica scandals.