building control northern ireland presentation to the BETTER REGULATION STAKEHOLDERS’ FORUM on 15 th November 2012 by Billy Gillespie BSc DMS CEng CEnv MICE FBEng Assistant North Eastern Group Chief Building Control Officer

building control northern ireland REGULATIONS - WHY ? PROTECT - WHO ? PUBLIC CONSUMERS WORKERS BUSINESSES ENVIRONMENT

building control northern ireland REGULATIONS - ensure SAFETY, HEALTH, CONSERVATION OF ENERGY & ACCESS

building control northern ireland REGULATE - How ? A Statutory function administered by 26 District Councils in Northern Ireland Grouped together into – 5 GROUPS + BELFAST PRESCRIPTIVE FUNCTIONAL

building control northern ireland Group Units – Co-ordinate Monitor Advise Influence Educate

building control northern ireland REGULATIONS - HOW ? Set of “reasonable standards” Applied in an - EQUITABLE CONSISTENT & PRACTICAL manor Most businesses/people want to comply with the law / regulations

building control northern ireland 6 Principles for Good Enforcement STANDARDS OPENNESS HELPFULNESS COMPLAINTS PROPORTIONALITY CONSISTENCY Good Enforcement Policies and Procedures

building control northern ireland STANDARDS Set a level of Service & Performance Consult with business & stakeholders Customer Survey Measure performance & publish figures Publish on website Quality Assessed Fair and open

building control northern ireland OPENNESS Provide information on regulations Guidance notes – disseminate widely Advice leaflets Press releases Provide information on enforcement Discuss problems of compliance with customers Business support team – be approachable Website advice Partnership exercises

building control northern ireland HELPFULLNESS Approachable Customer friendly Customer Surveys Focus on preventative activity Seminars on regulations Discuss future progress with builder Advice on legal requirements and best practice Training seminars Customer helpline – 24 hour Add Value

building control northern ireland HELPFULLNESS Meet customers needs Out of hours inspections Use technology to speed up & improve service Use specialist teams Co-ordinate with other Agencies Communicate in “Plain English” Hold regular meetings with customers

building control northern ireland COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SERVICE Complaints system Explain complaints procedure to customers Leaflets outlining how system works Easy to use and understand Encourage comment/complaint Satisfaction surveys Feedback on complaints & satisfaction survey Publish figures Let the public know what we do Information leaflets Appeals process

building control northern ireland PROPORTIONALITY Enforcement action proportional to the seriousness of the offence (risk) Intelligence driven enforcement Opportunity to put things right Prosecute as a last resort Try to achieve compliance by persuasion Prosecute serious offenders Target high risk activities Publish enforcement/prosecution guidelines

building control northern ireland CONSISTENCY Promote consistency in level of service Uniformity of interpretation & enforcement Agreed level of service Policies and procedures for all operations Regular monitoring and auditing Publish figures Liase with other Building Control Departments Regular meetings with customers/stakeholders Co-ordination with other enforcement agencies Type approval for major customers

building control northern ireland Enforcement Activity Assistance Leaflets Opportunities to rectify contraventions by oral notification Advisory visits 2-way discussion Communication by written notification Right of Appeal Explain processes/steps

building control northern ireland 2005 The Hampton Review “Reducing Administrative Burdens: Effective Inspection and Enforcing” - too many forms - duplicate information requests - multiple inspections on businesses Recommended – a RISK BASED SYSTEM

building control northern ireland A Statutory function administered by 26 Councils with 5 Group Units Independent Impartial Accountable Appeal to DFP To Elected Representatives All decisions discoverable in Court Ombudsman

building control northern ireland 6 Principles for Good Enforcement (5 Principles of Better Regulation from Regulators’ Compliance Code 2008) STANDARDS - targeted OPENNESS - transparent HELPFULNESS COMPLAINTS - accountable PROPORTIONALITY - proportionate CONSISTENCY - consistent

building control northern ireland THANK YOU for your attention Billy Gillespie BSc DMS CEng CEnv MICE FBEng Assistant North Eastern Group Chief Building Control Officer