People are freezing in their homes because 98 per cent of buildings do not have minimum insulation standards, the Dáil heard today.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent made the claim but it was immediately dismissed as 'nonsense' by the Taoiseach who explained that local authorities had a role to enforce existing guidelines in the area.
Trevor Sargent
Mr Sargent said during Leaders' Questions: "There is a massive failure to implement the Government's own minimum standards on house building."
He added that there had been never been any prosecutions of builders, architects or engineers for flouting the regulations.
"Are you going to apologise to the people of this country, who are forced to live in housing which is not built to the standards that even your Government has set down?" he asked.
The Taoiseach disputed the 98 per cent figure and said that legislation in the area should be enforced by local authorities.
"On a morning where it was minus three degrees Celsius at 9am, anybody who is in any form of sub-standard housing, it is hugely difficult for them. We all want to see such situations improved."
He said Irish and EU legislation in recent years had sought to improve housing standards but that implementation and prosecutions arising from the guidelines were a matter for local authorities in all cases.
He added "As I understand it, our regulations on building in this country are high. The standards of most of our houses built in the last 20 years are good."
But Mr Sargent hit back, quoting a recent newspaper article on insulation standards: "The figure of 98 per cent is an absolutely abject failure in terms of flouting of energy rules." "That is not factual," the Taoiseach said.
Mr Sargent continued: "Not only are people freezing in their homes, and climate change is going to cost this country dearly, but you are actually preventing local authorities from improving the standards."
But Mr Ahern replied: "You know yourself that is nonsense. It's not the truth. Did you write that \[article] yourself?" Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon was forced to intervene to keep order in the Dail chamber.
"This is a democratic assembly and the Taoiseach is entitled to be heard," he said.
Mr Ahern continued: "Every time I get a figure like this from Deputy Sargent, we check it out and find that it has no basis, no facts, it doesn't stand up in any area."