Mr. Sean Giffney:

On behalf of the APHCI, I sincerely thank the committee members for taking the time to meet us today and for understanding the gravity of the situation facing the gas industry. I thank Deputy Michael Moynihan, who has given us great support in our endeavour to achieve results in the gas industry for the past three years. The Deputy has travelled up and down the country to meet our members on so many occasions. I thank Deputy Ellis for his help and contribution.

Today is our last-ditch attempt to seek change within our industry to ensure the safety of thousands of lives that are at risk across the country. Lives of families in each constituency are at risk because of the failure of the regulatory system. We are the people on the ground working in people's homes and businesses each day. Our members witness illegal operations but little or nothing is being done about it. We have tried for over two years to engage with the regulator to find a solution. There is a need for proactive policing and severe penalties for those who break the law. These are not currently in place.

Down the corridor from here, there is a public banking inquiry under way. The one point on which we can all agree is that this inquiry is being held because the regulator was asleep at the wheel. If our industry is not properly regulated, sooner rather than later it will face the same fate as the thousands affected by the collapse of the banks. However, we are facing serious fatalities, with thousands of people's lives at risk. We simply cannot wait until it is too late. Our members are deeply concerned and holding out hope for a positive outcome today and for the help of the committee to prevent a major crisis. I shall now hand over to our secretary, Mr. James Egan, who will explain to the committee a number of the facts, including those on the illegal operations of natural gas systems installers.