The housing minister says he's ordered weekly audits of local authority housing to make sure a Grenfell Tower-style disaster could not happen here.

But Eoghan Murphy's move comes as the Dáil hears claims that Ireland's modern building regulations still leave private developments at huge risk.

Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit told the Dáil it WAS a possibility, and cited advice from fire experts who say that Ireland's current regulations could contribute to a 'chimney effect' which exacerbates any fire.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald says she is confident the current regulations are robust enough, but agreed that new builds should be audited to make sure they meet all necessary standards.

She also said local authorities needed to make sure they had enough staff to carry out the audits needed.

In Britain, meanwhile, it's emerged that 600 housing complexes could have the same flammable cladding as Grenfell Tower did.

Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly reports: