Mr. David Browne:

As an architect in a separate practice from Mr. Kennedy, I confirm the certification figures he mentioned. They are in the order of approximately €2,000 per unit. That is for private developers. The matter of independent inspection was raised and the types of people who should carry them out. We find that clients are now becoming very dependent on us interpreting technical guidance documents for compliance because they have become so complex. Within the technical guidance documents there are embedded in the order of 500 references to Irish, British or European standards. It takes quite an amount of technical expertise and education to be able to verify that one is compliant. One would have to take a very careful look at how authorised persons are qualified and what are the criteria for qualification.