Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am the last person in this round and then members will ask a couple of minor questions.

I completely appreciate that the document is about the management of land use, the movement of people, and creating opportunities for employment, development and growth in certain parts of the country. The options for the latter will vary depending on the part of the country whether it is tourism, heritage, culture, foreign direct investments, FDIs, or indigenous businesses.

Just like many members in this room who have been involved in many local area plans and development plans, I completely welcome the NPF plan because it gives us a roadmap and framework for where we are going as a country. The framework means I can plan for my family and for my children's futures. The plan will create opportunity and choice for them, which was not available before even in my time. I do not think the plan is waffle or spin. I think it is quite an ambitious plan. I presume it will be a moveable document over the next five, ten and 20 years. For the first time ever we will have a statutory document that all Departments will have to work towards when we invest in the country as a whole, and when we are re-balancing and not being Dublin-centric. I should be Dublin-centric because that is one of my constituents. However, I recognise that for the country to grow and be sustainable the country must be viewed in its entirety and not just Dublin as the capital.

I fully welcome this ambitious document and its bottom-up approach. Many of us in this room have attended numerous pubic consultation meetings throughout the process. As individual public representatives, we have all been given assistance. We have had ample opportunity to contribute to the plan and the final date for submissions is 3 November. I welcome how the public has been included like never before in the formulation of this national planning framework plan. It is important that we recognise such inclusivity.

The Minister does not have any questions to answer because I only commented on the plan. I thank him for the engagement that his Department is having with the committee here this morning on this matter. Members will now ask a couple of questions and I call on the Senator Murnane O'Connor to commence.