Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The next subgroup includes ten or so of my amendments. I am trying to be efficient in coming in now on amendment No. 30. I thank the Minister for his response to it. The amendment seeks, in reference to the definition, to recognise traditional Gaeltacht patterns. In terms of sustainable development, including sustainable housing development, I am a big supporter of reducing car dependency and having much more sustainable forms of development. Within that, there is a hierarchy. A lot of sustainable development will happen in compact urban cities. There will also be development outside of that in towns and villages, as well as development of rural clusters.

It is worth thinking about all of this with reference to housing in Gaeltacht areas. There were clusters of housing below village or town level in those areas before there were even cars or anything like that. We need to recognise that as a reality. Some Gaeltacht areas do not have within them what would be considered in terms of settlement patterns to be a town and so forth. This is just a reality. I am not advocating for more ribbon development or one-off housing. I am recognising the reality of what exists in Gaeltacht communities through this definition. We have to think about sustainability in environmental terms but, in Gaeltacht areas, we also have to think of it in terms of the language and the linguistic and cultural heritage. If we do not recognise the reality of clusters in those areas, which have existed for hundreds of years, it could undermine those areas altogether.

I am happy to move on now from discussion of amendment No. 30 unless others wish to speak on it.