Sir, – Louis O'Flaherty (October 2nd) is baffled as to why building inspections in the 1970s and 1980s were different from later years. Most people nowadays are unaware that until 1993 Ireland had a national technological agency, the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards (IIRS), which included a construction division. This division was responsible, among other things, for monitoring and testing the quality of building materials used on every construction site in the country. Materials used had to conform to the relevant national standard.
Since the abolition of the IIRS in 1993, there is no technical support for the various agencies of the State, such as local councils, in performing their work. Whether this development was due to an ideological opposition to regulation or just incompetence is still not clear. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL FITZGIBBON,
Dublin 4.
A chara, – The headline on page 2 of The Irish Times of October 2nd regarding the Longboat Quay apartments reads, "Key player in property boom finished apartment block at peak of Celtic Tiger". This should more accurately read "Key player in property boom did not finish apartment block at peak of Celtic Tiger". – Is mise,
CARMEL de GRAE,
Baile Átha Cliath 9.