Ms Anne Marie O'Connor:

We would hope to catch those things. If the Chair looks at the submissions we make, he will see that they are pretty detailed and that they are based on in-depth analysis. We do a report at each stage of the process as well; it is not just on the plan. At each stage of the process, we carry out a detailed assessment and prepare a report that then informs the submission we make. Our submissions are detailed. We sometimes get criticised for them being too detailed, but, at the end of the day, there is a process and then there is the decision on whether something is a clear breach that requires a recommendation to the Minister on a direction. When we are looking at that, we are not looking at making a perfect plan; we are looking to see if there are issues at a strategic level that will make the plan inconsistent with national policy. When we are looking at that stage we are also looking at patterns, so it is not just about an extension of one boundary, as the Chair says. It might be that at the smaller settlement tiers they are pushing the boundaries out over a number of different settlements. We are looking for those patterns and that is what elevates it beyond a local issue to a strategic evaluation that we are carrying out.