Mr. Eddie Taaffe:

On the single-stage process, the issue of risk to local authorities and the transfer of risk if there are cost overruns for local authorities, this has been dealt with in the circular, where the limit was moved from €6 million to €8 million. In my opinion, the reason the local authorities do not use it as much as they should is because it probably does not speed up the process of delivery as much as people think. They still have to go through planning, design and procurement. Local authorities have taken the view as they still have to do all of that anyway, they can do the four-stage process while doing it and not have what they perceive as the risk. To be fair to the Department, that issue of risk was raised with it and it said in the circular that it would look favourably at any cost overruns, as it normally would for the four-stage process. As stated earlier, 80% of delivery involves the use of the single-stage process in some shape or form across the AHB sector and the local authority sector.

The cost-rental backstop is in our submission for the new housing plan. I am not aware of any update on the backstop.