Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Again, biodiversity is referenced in Chapter 2 on the national planning framework. I am coming back to the point that I appreciate the point Deputies O'Callaghan and Duffy have made. The critical thing from our perspective is to try to achieve coherence across the plan as it pertains to the recently adopted fourth national biodiversity action plan. That is what we are trying to achieve. We also note that we will be embarking on a national nature restoration plan, which will include implications for urban development but also right across the country. From that perspective, we would come back with a broader suite of proposals on Report Stage that would give effect to the national biodiversity action plan and achieve exactly the objectives that all these amendments are setting out to achieve, which is strengthening this Bill to ensure it aligns with national biodiversity policy and recognises that we are in a biodiversity crisis, and that our planning system has to give credence to that and ensure we have a robust planning system that is able to meet these requirements to address the loss of biodiversity in Ireland.