Mr. James Benson:

I echo the point made in our opening statement and in the comments from our counterparts here today. The identification of the portfolio piece at a very early stage will be key not just for consumer interests but to have a level playing field for all those within the industry. A potential tracker as to how that would be monitored for a clear pipeline that would update in real-time is something that will be required of the LDA.

On the layer piece, a key word mentioned was "collaboration", which will be needed on a couple of fronts. Very ambitious targets are required to be set out in the coming years and it will take all hands at the pump to deliver that in the different sectors. A couple of bodies will be needed to accomplish that. One point we would want to see in the legislation is the early involvement of the industry and professional bodies. We do not want to get to a very prescriptive stage with regard to tendering. The expertise within the market as to what will be suitable and appealing as a tenure in the future will be important under the LDA.

On the leasing side, we have seen significant changes in the leasing models and there have been some proactive local authorities in recent times. It provides a viable funding model for many of the regions, which we should not forget about. This is sometimes just not viable in regional Ireland because there are issues with funding. To have that model would provide a viable alternative in many cases, and it is something we would encourage.

Financing is key to the licence agreements. At the moment, financing is a massive issue for the industry and it is just not there.

It is probably one of the biggest inhibitors we have seen to increasing delivery in recent years outside the greater Dublin area. It is difficult within the greater Dublin area; outside it is virtually impossible. A licensing agreement that can provide a mechanism to help that funding model will be greatly appreciated.

I might ask Mr. O'Neill to talk about the qualification requirements.