Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I thank all the witnesses for being here this afternoon. I met Pat Barry at the Lidl site in Maynooth, a project that is nearly complete. It is a completely new project and it was my first exposure to modern methods of construction and the materials. It is to be hoped it is the kind of project that will be replicated by the likes of Lidl and other retailers in the future. We can take learnings from that. I commend the Irish Green Building Council on its work there in my home town.

I have some specific questions for each of the groups, the first of which is for the Irish Green Building Council in relation to the guidelines. The council has proposed nature-based water attenuation systems over below-ground tanks. What regulatory barriers currently prevent wider adoption of sustainable drainage systems, SUDS, in housing schemes? That is the first question for the council.

The second question is on the research by the council, which shows that pitched roofs account for 16% of dwellings' embodied carbon. Based on that should roof design be regulated to reduce carbon intensity and, if so, how?