Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I thank all the Senators who have participated in the debate and I will address some of the issues raised in their contributions.

Senators Brian Ó Domhnaill and Thomas Byrne talked about an army of inspectors descending on people's private property. What I am doing in this legislation is no different from what Fianna Fáil did with the building energy regulations scheme, where it provided for private inspection of the energy performance of buildings. That is allowed. The national car tests are private inspections carried out on motor cars. Several local authorities, including that in Donegal, have private panels for site assessment for planning purposes.