Mr. Alan Baldwin:

Absolutely. We are not against the Bill and have only had a short time to consider it since we received in on Thursday. To explain, the Senator asked about our experience. My experience is that there are considerable delays in the system. Unfortunately, with planning, fire and disability access certificates, some of the delays are causing significant problems for commercial occupiers who just want to open shops and trade. A system that provides a more streamlined platform would be welcomed, provided it was properly resourced. Our concern is that we will experience further delays in the making of commercial applications if the resources are moved from one side of the county council to another to deal with one-off applications.