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GAZETTE
N E W S
M
W H
APRIL 1994
Mi n i s t er Hi gh l i ghts Benef i ts
of Bui lders Gua r an t ee
In the course of a recent address at the
launch of the House Building Manual
by the National House Guarantee
Scheme, the Minister for the
Environment,
Michael Smith
TD,
expressed the hope that those involved
in giving professional advice, such as
solicitors or estate agents, would as a
matter of policy advert to the
availability, or otherwise, of a
guarantee in all new house purchases.
The benefits of buying a new house
covered by the NHBGS guarantee
include monitoring of construction
standards, the attractiveness of the
guarantee to lending agencies, cover
for the buyer for loss of deposit and a
means of redress in the event of
structural problems arising after
completion.
The Minister also said that the
introduction of the Building
Regulations, which came into force a
year and a half ago, was one of the
most significant developments for the
construction industry in recent years.
"They brought into force for the first
time a building code for the country as
a whole. Put simply, the objective of
Michael Smith, TD, Ministerfor the
Environment
the Regulations is to promote good
and caring building practice." The
Regulations, he said, provided
objective guidance as to what actually
constituted good building practice. "In
keeping with that approach the
Regulations do not require
certification of compliance by
contractors. This does not, of course,
in any way diminish the responsibility
of builders to ensure that everything
they do fully meets the requirements
of the Regulations. The law requires
compliance and the absence of a
certification requirement does not in
any way diminish builders'
obligations under the law."
The Minister continued "with
approximately 13,700 registrations
last year, the vast majority of new
homes built for private sale now enjoy
the benefits of the NHBGS Guarantee.
There is still a small number of new
house purchasers who do not have this
protection and I would expect that
those involved in giving professional
advice, such as solicitors or estate
agents, would as a matter of policy
advert to the availability or otherwise
of a guarantee in all new house
purchases".
The Minister said that the scope of the
guarantee had been improved in 1990
when the scheme was reviewed by the
Guarantee Company in consultation
with his Department. Purchasers now
enjoyed deposit cover and indemnity
against a broader range of building
defects, backed up by the substantial
reserves the company had built up. •
Submission on
Companies
(Amendment) Act
(Continued from page 77)
14. Provision be made for the
payment of leasing creditors'
current entitlements as an
expense of the court protection.
15. The inequitable benefit of the
Revenue Commissioners
whereby debt written down is
treated as a taxable receipt in the
hands of the company and liable
to corporation tax be
removed.
Company and Commercial
Law
Committee
•
At the parchment ceremony on 4 February were l-r: Eddie O'Connor who was admitted to
the Roll of Solicitors, with his mother, Nancy O 'Connor; his father, P. Desmond O 'Connor
(right) who has been in practice as a solicitor for 42 years and (second from right) Professor
Richard Woulfe, Director of Education.
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