Mr. Eddie Taaffe:

My view on the county development plan cycle is that ten years is a long time for it. We should zone sufficient lands for ten years but the plan should stick at six years and be reviewed after that length of time. That happens to a certain extent because when local authorities are zoning land they zone for the protected development of them within six years plus a bit of headroom. There are enough mechanisms in the existing legislation through variations and material contraventions of plans to allow that little bit of flexibility. The six-year timeframe is appropriate provided there is zoning that looks beyond those six years.

On the interventions in tendering and what interventions the Minister can make, the recent changes through price variation should go a long way towards improving that situation and a balance has been struck. The detail was only published a few days ago but the intention of the changes should go a long way towards bringing a little bit more certainty and less risk into those tenders. Those interventions have been made.