Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I strongly disagree with the Deputy on this amendment. I believe the Government should be the authority and be held accountable for these approved plans. It is elected to deal with these issues. Delegating approval to the Dáil would undercut the Government of the day, which should be held accountable and stand over its approval. I believe it would be detrimental to accountability if approval was undercut to the Dáil rather than the Government. The Government must and should be held to account. This amendment could weaken the capacity of a Government to show ownership of these plans, particularly if they are not its top priority. The Government should take responsibility for this and should be held to account. That is my strongly held view on the issue. The Government should be forced, with accountability in mind, to implement and drive this forward.

I am concerned also that if this is dealt with in the manner suggested by the Deputy, it could introduce a delay in the process. That is less of a concern, but I disagree with the Deputy in principle.