Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are going to have to come back to this issue and the decision-making in respect of Harold's Cross needs to be looked at again. Bord na gCon made the decision but were the procedures of the Harold's Cross board adhered to? Did it make the decision beforehand? I ask Mr. O'Driscoll to look at this immediately and suspend any action until, as the Accounting Officer, he is satisfied that all procedures have been adhered to. If the board at Harold's Cross and the decision-making process have been bypassed, it says a lot about Bord na gCon.

My other favourite topic is CEDRA. The CEDRA report is very important and I am sure Mr. O'Driscoll is a big fan of the chair, Pat Spillane, who has been involved for years. CEDRA has done a huge amount of work but the Department pays lip service to it. I do not think it has much interest in anything that goes on outside the farm gate. Given the fact that the national planning framework is coming in, I encourage the Department to change in this regard.