Mr. Dave Walsh:

That is good to hear. More generally, it potentially undermines confidence in the entire planning system if there is a great divergence between decisions at a local level and by the board. Different cases can generate different overturn rates. One of the meetings I had soon after I joined the board was with a delegation from the CCMA to discuss how we could share the experiences the board was having. It was not about pointing to authorities that might not do everything right but rather to ones that present their information. The vacant sites levy is an example. It is new for local authorities and the board and we are constantly refining our processes. There should be a dialogue, maybe facilitated by the Department or the new regulator, for people to talk and understand why we do something. I do not mean that the board would tell people but some of the local authorities such as that in County Laois, which are obviously doing something right, could say this is how they approach the board and ask whether it is some best practice that could be shared with the 30 other authorities. We are very open. As the Chairman noted, we have a wealth of knowledge and experience in every type of case. We are there to be tapped for advice.