JUST ONE COMPANY is responsible for certifying dry cleaning companies to operate in Ireland.

Under the Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from Organic Solvents Regulations 2002, dry cleaners are required to have a certificate of compliance from their local authority before they can operate.

To get the certificate, which must be renewed every year, a dry cleaning premises must undergo a two- to three-hour inspection by an accredited inspection contractor to check their regulatory compliance.

Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has confirmed that although three companies had that accreditation when the regulations came into effect in 2002, two of those companies have since withdrawn from the market.

Currently, there is just one company – Certification Europe – operating in Ireland which has the ISO 17020 accreditation required.

Socialist Party TD Clare Daly  says that the company’s price for providing the dry cleaning certificate has increased by €175 to €475 within a year, although Certification Europe’s CEO Michael Brophy told TheJournal.ie that the price has been at €475 “for quite some time” and has not increased over the past 12 months.

Daly says the price is putting pressure on struggling small businesses and the TD called on Minister Hogan to make the certificate available through local authorities for free.

Michael Brophy said that Ireland’s approach to certifying dry cleaners is well-recognised abroad because it ensures an industry-led approach rather than risking a fragmented approach through 26 different local authorities.

Each authority would have to demonstrate its own competence to carry out the required inspections, Brophy said, suggesting a high cost burden in ensuring that the international standard is being achieved across the board.

Responding to Daly in the Dáil, Phil Hogan said that having just one company to provide the certificates “is not a sustainable situation”.

His department “is preparing new draft regulations in consultation with the relevant agencies and local authorities that will support increased competition in the inspection market with the aim of reducing costs”.

“It is envisaged that changes arising to the current inspection requirements would apply from 1 January 2013,” Hogan added.