Feargal Quinn (Independent)

The real aim of this legislation was to achieve help for subcontractors. We did not try to achieve something that changes the law or introduces a new topic in law. Existing legislation stipulates that I owe one money if I buy something from one. The legislation stipulates how that money can be obtained. We require the legislation before us to cover circumstances where goods are bought and installed. It is a subcontractors Bill and does not attempt to cover all legislation concerning buying and selling. Regrettably, we did not cover such a wide range because we did not believe we would be able to keep the legislation concise and capable of being passed.

We copied some British legislation and examined what was done in New Zealand, Malaysia and certain states in Australia. We learned a great deal from what they have done. In many of those cases, a decision was made not to include materials unless they were installed as part of the subcontractor's contract. This legislation may not be as all-encompassing as it might have been but it is aimed at subcontractors who install materials. It does not include material that is not installed.