Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy did but I am not going to confirm it. I have discussed this to see how to do it. I know the Deputy was just giving examples but assigning a medical-type priority is problematic. We have to operate within EU law. There is a way of doing this by focusing development where we need it. A clear desire I have is to make sure we have legislative underpinning that will help developments in the area, hence the practical things we are doing like the Croí Cónaithe grant. That grant has been drawn down and applied for in Gaeltacht areas where homes have been vacant for a long time. The committee discussed this at length with Deputy Ó Cuív - I mentioned homes on the islands. We need to see new developments for people there too, but they need to be social and affordable. We can do that. I put it to my colleagues that priority area plans are the way to do that. You tie in a local authority that knows its area and Gaeltacht regions. I just spoke about three different towns in the south Connemara Gaeltacht alone that are distinctly different which are very close to each other. They have different challenges and advantages. Further up, there is An Cheathrú Rua and Ros Muc - they are all in the one county. They all have different characteristics and needs.

I engaged with Uisce Éireann specifically on this issue. One example is a major upgrade in An Spidéal which will ensure further development there - scéim shéarachais with a long-needed wastewater treatment plant. Work is required in An Cheathrú Rua. We could go on. Uisce Éireann has presented before the committee. I will not add any more at this stage.

On Deputy Ó Broin's point about legal advice in that regard, I have engaged with local authorities. Their view is it is problematic. The AHB that operates in south Connemara was able to manage allocations there. It was right-sizing the housing focus on the development. I think in that development, three of the four apartments were Irish-speaking. It was carefully managed. We have to make sure there is equality within the county too so there is no hierarchy of citizen in the sense that a citizen who speaks Irish - even though we all value the language and its importance - does not have a greater priority than a citizen who does not. I think we can all understand that would be difficult and the incorrect thing to do. It is about how we support our Gaeltacht communities in real terms with real politics that can be implemented and impact positively on the ground, like the Croí Cónaithe grant and moving forward with affordable housing in the Gaeltacht.

Under section 69, I will come back on Report Stage with regard to priority area plans. That would be a significant step forward and change. I met Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann about this. Its biggest issue is, if you take Inis Meáin, for example, it is well populated but there are no settlements on it so it cannot adhere to the development plan, even for separation distances for percolation and various different things. That is why there are very unique characteristics in these areas. This genuinely is the way to go. I understand the sentiment behind the discussion and agree with a sizeable portion of it but I do not accept amendment No. 390. I will come back on Report Stage. Sin é.