Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I echo and support Deputy Cowen, who makes a very valid point on training and ongoing professional support, as earlier discussed. I come from and was a member of Dún Laoghaire local authority. Judicial reviews have been carried out in respect of planning issues and county development plans in that area. The issue in terms of councillors is ongoing and we must empower them, which will give them skills, knowledge and responsibilities. There must be independent support. I know of councillors who themselves sought and paid for legal advice as citizens of communities that feel so vexed by some things planning authorities try to do. That is the reality of it. Although it is not a matter for today's meeting, I know many councillors who put their hands in their pockets to write submissions in regard to planning for the communities they represent. All present know of such councillors. I have had to spend my own money to appeal decisions by a local authority in which I lived and for which I was an elected member. I had to pay the local authority to which I had been elected to exercise my functions in respect of planning.

I was unhappy with the some of the decisions, appealed and was successful, but nobody validated them and came back and gave me my money. That is replicated all over the country.

My final question concerns State agencies and assets, with which the document is peppered. We have very valuable real estate assets. I am thinking, in particular, of the port and dockland areas in Drogheda, Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Wicklow, Waterford and Cork. We can see that a lot happening is in Waterford. Deputies from there have been upfront in announcing their input into and how they shaped it. There are ports all the way around to Galway. It is a vast amount of real estate with really good zoning, at which we need to look. I am not being critical; I am just saying it is really important that we look at its value, assessment, zoning and potential. We have regional assemblies, local authorities and State agencies. When and where can we get an inventory of the State's assets which are public lands? I understand the Department deals with all of the local authorities. I brought to its attention where there were deficiencies and returns were not fully accurate. We have a problem in that regard. The States has vast tracts of land which is very much part of what the Department is planning. In fairness, it was referenced in the presentation. Will the delegates tell us how it is going to happen, who is going to do it and what the lead agency is? I know that marine and coastal planning is a separate strand, but will the delgates tell us how it is progressing?