Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Obviously, this is pre-legislative scrutiny and we are looking at legislation which will be useful in practice, so I want to just pick out a number of things out of the submissions. I echo the point Deputy Stanley made in that my experience has been that the local authority is run ragged by the construction industry and not just because of the recent crash. From the time I was elected to a local authority in the early 1990s, it was usual to chase up on the completion of estates. There were some excellent developers and some who had to be cajoled. There was some absolute rubbish. The amount of time, energy and effort that goes into this does no service to construction sector.

We need to find mechanisms in legislation that actually reward good behaviour and penalise bad behaviour.

The ability to refuse planning permission to people who do not comply with the basic requirements of completing estates and being fair to the people purchasing is essential. I would like to hear from the construction industry because it is in its interests. What measures could the witnesses recommend that will get us to a point where good behaviour will be rewarded and bad behaviour penalised in this legislation and in the No. 2 Bill as well? That is in all of our interests.

Regarding the Derelict Sites Act and the vacant sites levy, the Derelict Sites Act did not work. The amount of money brought in has been minimal and there are very few examples of it being successful. Passage West or perhaps another west Cork town was one of them where there was a focus of attention and it delivered a very good streetscape as a consequence of the kind of-----