Richard O'Donoghue Questions Who Will Certify Mixed 1990–2025 Works
Richard O'Donoghue raised concerns about proposals to connect 1990 block work with 2025 block work, questioning who would certify such mixed-era building works and whether the government would accept liability. He argued the connection of older and newer standards cannot be certified under current processes and demanded a government guarantee for homeowners.
He asked who will certify work where 1990 standards are joined to 2025 standards, noting that engineers currently require job-specific certification down to materials such as nails and that existing certification practice is exacting.
He described a scenario in which the outer part of a house is removed while the internal structure is left in place, then new block work built to 2025 standards is connected to 1990 block work, and questioned how regulators could oversee that junction.
He demanded that the government clarify whether it will provide a guarantee that such mixed works can be certified and whether it will accept responsibility if there is a subsequent breakdown or damage resulting from the combination of different-era materials.
He pointed out that building regulations and standards are upgraded regularly and can require projects to restart when rules change, using hospital builds as an example, to underline his view that certifying across disparate standards is problematic.
Certification concerns
He asked who will certify work where 1990 standards are joined to 2025 standards, noting that engineers currently require job-specific certification down to materials such as nails and that existing certification practice is exacting.
Mixed-era construction problem
He described a scenario in which the outer part of a house is removed while the internal structure is left in place, then new block work built to 2025 standards is connected to 1990 block work, and questioned how regulators could oversee that junction.
Government guarantee and liability
He demanded that the government clarify whether it will provide a guarantee that such mixed works can be certified and whether it will accept responsibility if there is a subsequent breakdown or damage resulting from the combination of different-era materials.
Building regulations change over time
He pointed out that building regulations and standards are upgraded regularly and can require projects to restart when rules change, using hospital builds as an example, to underline his view that certifying across disparate standards is problematic.
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Transcript
Minister, after listening to what you have put down on the amendments and you quoted 1990 to 2025 and Building Control Acts, so what I want to put on the record here today is from you. So what you're saying so is that you can have a house built 1990s, you're putting on a section in the house connecting the 1990 block work to the 2025 block work. Who's going to certify it? At the moment, and I deal with engineers on a daily basis, for certification for anything I have to get, you have to get the argument certif today, you have to get all the different certificates, down to the nails that you use, you have to show them job-specific. But under you quoting 1990 to 2025, you're now connecting in the basis of what you've allowed for houses saying that you'll partially remove some part of the house, you're going to leave the internal structure, how you're going to join them. So now you're joining 1990 standards to 2025, you're not taking out one completely and replacing it, you're actually connecting on to it. So how can you regulate around that, and give guarantees to the homeowners that we can remove the outer part of your house, leave the inner part of your house, support the house, and connect new block work, which is 2025 standards, and connect it to 1990 standards, and get somebody to certify it? I don't think it can be done, but are the government going to give a government guarantee that it can be certified. And if there's an issue, afterwards will the government take liability for the mess that are now made? This is why, and you go talking about building regulations and building standards, they are upgraded every year. And you can see, even from the point of view of hospitals being built, if they go into the 1st of January in the following year, regulations can change and they have to start all over again. But yet you're able to say, under what you're talking about, under those amendments, that 1990 standards can be certified with 2025 standards. But what has been made explicitly clear here tonight is the government will give the guarantee and take responsibility if there's a breakdown afterwards in the two different contexts of the materials from the different eras of years. Thank you.