Mr. Tom Parlon:

A number of different elements are being looked at. There is an old saying that you should never let a good crisis go to waste. Some issues with planning and other chicanery holding up development can be looked at now with a view to speeding it up.

Along with some of our members I have been involved with modular housing. Construction is evolving all the time. It has been slow to move along and we are probably behind other sectors in adopting technology. Offsite production and modern methods of construction are the way to go. Individuals have made significant investment in modular systems in providing homes, factories, hospitals or even the very sophisticated networks for the IT and pharmaceutical industries. Instead of 15 electricians working inside the room putting the stuff together, it is being put together in external plants and then brought in. There is great scope there.

The national development plan is worth €165 billion over ten years. We have been talking to all the stakeholders. It is fairly backloaded. The amount of stuff that is coming out in the next few years is modest enough. Of course, politicians like to be cutting ribbons and announcing great news.