Mr. Tom Parlon:

There is no question that the point Deputy Breathnach made about WuXi Biologics, foreign direct investment and the cost of housing is a concern. Clearly we have to be careful about voicing concerns in that we might be cutting our own throat. It has not stopped the investment yet, but it is a growing challenge. That is why we need to invest in both resources and encouragement. There are massive delays with the likes of An Bord Pleanála. There was a period when it did not have enough people and issues were going on forever. In the section of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection that deals with work permits, there is a ridiculous 12-week delay before an application is even considered. Where would one find the likes of that in any commercial business? The Department says it does not have the resources, people are on leave and so on.

I refer also to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. The very strict regulations with regard to building waste are now a factor. The waste may be soil and stone, and if construction takes place on a brownfield site, God knows what is there. All that waste has to be examined and a determination made on whether it needs to go to a special landfill. In some cases it has to be exported. One cannot get a section 27 licence from the EPA because it does not have the resources to examine it.