Mr. Jerry Grant:

I make the point again that the materials to be used in the meter box installation were procured ahead of the contracts being procured. They were procured quite early. In our assessment of the requirements, we allowed for up to 10% of boxes to be grade B. That was a considered view that had regard to the situation in Britain and here in Ireland with non-domestic meters. We had clear evidence that the majority of situations would be satisfied by the grade C cover, but we anticipated that perhaps up to 10% would require grade B. That said, we took no decision to specify that, say, 10% were to be used.

I wish to make an important point. In regard to any guidance or standards in the public domain, we would never summarily or arbitrarily ignore them. We have responsibility to the Commission for Energy Regulation to deliver the most cost-effective and efficient solution to any problem. We will not be compensated by the CER for failures that occur from our lack of control over quality. Therefore, we are at risk if there is a problem in this regard. We took these decisions clearly understanding the construct and quality control process we were putting forward. If we are setting criteria for private developers for infrastructure that we might be taking over in the future, we may take a very different view and will take an appropriate view in all those situations. This is particular to work we are carrying out under contracts and supervision and to our specifications, and that is the core point. There is nothing arbitrary or summary about this.