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

A couple of important points were raised by Deputies. On Deputy O'Callaghan's point, that hierarchy is defined in the design manual for roads and streets. If there is further clarification needed on that, we can provide it. I agree on the importance of what Deputy Matthews is trying to achieve with amendment No. 14. That can vary depending on type of development and location. Deputy O'Callaghan mentioned issues around the growth of housing in rural Ireland and how unsustainable that has been. Work is ongoing on rural housing policy. We should develop and grow our urban centres in a compact way. That should be the priority and that is what we are trying to achieve as policymakers. There is an impact in terms of transport-orientated development in rural areas where rural transport is not so well developed. The Government has made significant progress in enhancing bus routes and connectivity, particularly in rural areas, which is one of the reasons, as the Deputy pointed out very well, that we have this challenge in service provision in rural communities. It is not just public transport but all services for rural areas, including broadband. It has created a huge challenge for us.

On local authority development plans, they adhere to, and have to adhere to, national plans and policies. They are screened. They have to go through an appropriate assessment process. There are checks and balances to ensure local authority development plans are strengthened and have the correct measures in place. Deputy Ó Broin suggested we go back and look at achieving the spirit Deputy Matthews seeks to achieve. We can do that and come back with a proposal on Report Stage. There is no doubt these amendments are important but it is about the whole interaction with other NTA policies and Department of Transport policies. We need to look at the challenge of how all that interacts. If it is okay, we might try and achieve that.

I know that response is a little bit vague. I recognise what the amendments are trying to achieve but a joint approach is being worked on by the TOD working group between the Department of Transport and our Department. That work is ongoing. There are evolving elements to this. We commit to looking at that to see how we might support the spirit of Deputy Matthews' amendments.