Construction

Construction industry lobbyists helped to draft building works bill

The Department of Housing allowed the CIF to provide input into proposed legislation before it was published, new records have revealed

Cian O’Callaghan TD, Social Democrats spokesperson for Housing, said correspondence released to him has raised ‘serious questions about who is designing Irish housing policy’. Picture: Fergal Phillips

Construction industry lobbyists closely coordinated with state officials on the drafting of legislation that was being created to clamp down on so-called “cowboy builders” and received several copies of the proposed Bill before it was published, new records have revealed.

Documents released under Freedom of Information rules have shown that the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) had early access to draft versions and provided input into the bill before other government departments.

Cian O’Callaghan, the Social ...