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

The Minister needs to consult his officials and I fully respect that. I want to speak on amendments Nos. 307, 316, 433, 502, 505, 508, 536, 540, 544, 548, 559 and 562. The Minister said he feels many of these amendments are far too prescriptive. The amendments are not prescriptive at all. All these amendments seek to do is to ensure the development plans are consistent with the relevant language plans arising from Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012. That is all these amendments are trying to do, which is not prescriptive.

The Minister used language around merging. This is not about trying to merge those provisions. It is trying to make sure in the planning Bill that when planners and local authorities make a development plan and they consult the planning Bill and ask what they have to do in preparing the development plan, it is very clear they must be consistent with the language plans in areas where there are Gaeltacht service towns and líonraí. That is the requirement of these amendments. There is a risk if it is not written into the legislation. The legislation gives quite a lot of direction in terms of making the development plan. It will be consulted and the local authorities are going to follow it because there are several obligations on them, so if it is not in the legislation, there is every chance it will fall down the list of priorities and will not get the prioritisation it should.

What is the point in having language plans and everything that is set out very well in Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012 if we end up having development plans that are not consistent with it? The Minister might respond to that point about what is wrong with having the preparation of development plans consistent with the language plans where we have language plans for the relevant area. Why not have it in the legislation? That is not very prescriptive. In fact, it is all the amendments in the grouping I have read out effectively require. It is just about consistency, and only in the areas where there are service towns, language planning areas, Gaeltachtaí and so forth. It is only in those areas. I ask that this point be addressed.