Mr. Pat Montague:

We did propose to Members of a previous Oireachtas that the Planning and Development Bill would include a provision to the effect that if somebody had a track record of defective development, it would be an issue that could be taken into consideration by a local authority when considering an application from that builder. There are other issues.

We were told that there is no connection whatsoever between building regulations and planning, which is ludicrous. We must remember that the company applying for planning permission is not the company that built. While the directors might be the same, they are different legal entities. This also comes up. They are able to cover themselves and, I am afraid, they have done so.