Mr. Hubert Fitzpatrick:

A range of issues have been raised that relate to both CIRI and the CIF. I will deal with a number of them, particularly from a CIF perspective. Regarding the protection of the consumer, which refers to one of the previous questions as well, the insurance policies available today to new home owners are very different from the insurance policies that pertained ten years ago. There are a number of operators in the market that provide what is in effect latent defects insurance. This insurance policy is first party insurance cover. The policyholder does not have to go through the builder. In addition, the policy attaches to the house. It does not attach to the builder or the first and only occupier. The policy is still in place so the home owner will go to the insurance company. This will apply in respect of defective workmanship, design and materials and will apply for a ten-year period. It offers much greater cover than applied previously. There is a policy for €200,000 for buildings and €50,000 for mechanical equipment so it is quite significant. I do no think the general public appreciates the significant difference in policy cover that pertains today compared to what pertained previously. Traditionally, the old builder warranty insurance would have been available but that had to go through the builder. This is no longer the case. We fully support-----