Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and thank Senator O'Toole for tabling the motion. Of all those on the Independent benches and the Opposition side of the House, I tend to agree with him the most, on almost everything. However, that is not the case with the entirety of this motion.

Looking at the text, I join in congratulating Fingal County Council and those others throughout the country that followed suit. Carlow, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and others are considering similar guidelines. They are to be commended on what they are doing. However, that is about all in the motion with which I agree, and I will support the amendment.

Fingal County Council used section 19 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to override current building regulations requirements in local area plans. Therefore, there is nothing to prevent any other local authority from doing the same while we carry out the measured and balanced review of overall building regulations that is due. I congratulate the councillors, who elect most of us in the House, on their vision in voting through those amendments to parts of the local area plan. I know that Fingal County Council, in the Balbriggan south-east local area plan, was first to do so. It is reasonable to mention that it did so in April 2006.

It is clear that hollow block construction seems less than efficient in the context of the other possibilities. It is also clear that all agree that it is possible to insulate it properly. I have an interest to declare, since I am involved in the auction business and I have not witnessed a hollow block being used on any building site that I have attended for a long time.