Ms Oonagh McPhillips:

There is a practice in place since the 1970s in respect of contract law generally where, apparently, a solicitor acting on behalf of a purchaser insists on an opinion on compliance with planning permission from the landlord or vendor showing that the development is in substantial compliance with the planning permission. That is a practice across all contracts apparently and the view of the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2011 was that the Chief State Solicitor's Office, CSSO, was entitled to rely on that in relation to this.