building control northern ireland presentation to the better regulation stakeholders’ forum on 15...

buildingcontrolnorthern ireland

presentation to the

BETTER REGULATION STAKEHOLDERS’ FORUM

on 15th November 2012

byBilly Gillespie BSc DMS CEng CEnv MICE FBEng

Assistant North Eastern Group Chief Building Control Officer

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REGULATIONS - WHY ?

PROTECT - WHO ?

PUBLIC

CONSUMERS

WORKERS

BUSINESSES

ENVIRONMENT

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REGULATIONS - ensure

SAFETY,

HEALTH,

CONSERVATION OF ENERGY &

ACCESS

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REGULATE - How ?

A Statutory function administered by

26 District Councils in Northern Ireland

Grouped together into –

5 GROUPS + BELFAST

PRESCRIPTIVE FUNCTIONAL

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Group Units – Co-ordinate

Monitor

Advise

Influence

Educate

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REGULATIONS - HOW ?Set of “reasonable standards”Applied in an -

EQUITABLE CONSISTENT & PRACTICAL manor

Most businesses/people want to comply with the law / regulations

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6 Principles for Good Enforcement

STANDARDS

OPENNESS

HELPFULNESS

COMPLAINTS

PROPORTIONALITY

CONSISTENCY

Good Enforcement Policies and Procedures

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STANDARDSSet a level of Service & Performance

Consult with business & stakeholders

Customer Survey

Measure performance & publish figures

Publish on website

Quality Assessed

Fair and open

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OPENNESSProvide information on regulations

Guidance notes – disseminate widelyAdvice leafletsPress releases

Provide information on enforcementDiscuss problems of compliance with customers

Business support team – be approachableWebsite advice

Partnership exercises

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HELPFULLNESSApproachable

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

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HELPFULLNESSMeet 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

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COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SERVICEComplaints system

Explain complaints procedure to customersLeaflets outlining how system worksEasy to use and understandEncourage comment/complaint

Satisfaction surveysFeedback on complaints & satisfaction survey

Publish figuresLet the public know what we do

Information leafletsAppeals process

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PROPORTIONALITYEnforcement 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

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CONSISTENCYPromote 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

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Enforcement ActivityAssistanceLeafletsOpportunities to rectify contraventions

by oral notification

Advisory visits2-way discussionCommunication

by written notification

Right of AppealExplain processes/steps

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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

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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

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6 Principles for Good Enforcement(5 Principles of Better Regulation

from Regulators’ Compliance Code 2008)

STANDARDS - targetedOPENNESS - transparentHELPFULNESSCOMPLAINTS - accountablePROPORTIONALITY - proportionate CONSISTENCY - consistent

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THANK YOU for your attention

Billy Gillespie BSc DMS CEng CEnv MICE FBEng

Assistant North Eastern Group Chief Building Control Officer