Mr. Colin Ryan:

We are not looking to weaken the system and that is not intended in any way. The only issue is what is an egregious breach. If someone builds a big factory somewhere that is unauthorised, that is clearly an egregious breach, but it could be an issue at a local level where there could be an egregious breach for certain people, so it is that definition issue. At the end of the day, it is an offence. I take the Deputy’s point around the issue of the spectrum of breaches. What we are aiming to do is look at the series of very egregious breaches and then try to look at the smaller, more minor breaches in some other way. There is a continuum to this that has to be reflected on. If it is an offence, it is an offence. It is an issue that we are exploring, it is fair to say.

I want to stress that any streamlining or movement is not to weaken the system or look for some way out. It is just to look at it operationally from the point of view that when the facts are put to the court, there is some position that can be arrived at that meets the proper planning and sustainable development of the area. That is what the point is in regard to the enforcement issue.