The Taoiseach has met the parents of one of the victims of the Berkeley balcony collapse tragedy as part of a three-day visit to the US.
Enda Kenny last night met Jackie and George Donohoe, whose daughter Ashley and niece Olivia were among the six young people killed when a balcony collapsed on 16 June last year at the Library Gardens complex in Berkeley, California.
The incident happened as a group of young people celebrated a 21st birthday. Seven others were seriously injured in the collapse.
Mr Kenny said he had met the other affected families in Dublin last week.
From Dublin, but living in California, Ms Donohoe's efforts are credited with helping to lead to the introduction of new legislation in California to improve building standards.
The legislation was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in September.
Politicians in the California state house praised the testimony given by Ms Donohoe and survivor Aoife Beary and her mother Angela during hearings.
Two California state senators, Jerry Hill and Loni Hancock, had first tabled the legislation last year, when it emerged that the company which had built the Library Gardens complex, Segue Construction, had several construction defects settlements against it.
The legislation increases the oversight on construction contractors, requiring criminal work-related convictions to be reported, and requires a new set of standards for the construction of balconies and other outdoor spaces.
Californian authorities have also moved to suspend Segue Construction's licence.
The California Contractors State License Board has filed a formal accusation to suspend or revoke the licence.
The accusation document alleges that the Segue company "wilfully departed from or disregarded building plans or specifications" and "wilfully departed from accepted trade standards for good and workmanlike construction".
The board alleges that if the balcony had been built according to the design specs then it would have been "well within the design limits of the balcony structure" to bear the load of 13 students.
The accusation also alleges that it was the decay of the wooden joists holding the balcony deck to the building that caused the collapse.
The Segue company has 15 days to respond to the accusation and file a Notice of Defence.
If the company does not file a Notice of Defence, that usually results in a default revocation of its licence.
