Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome some of my former colleagues. For the purposes of transparency, Dave Walsh was assistant secretary over climate change and environment and Terry Sheridan was in planning at the time I was in the Department.

I was looking forward to the meeting today because, during my brief stint in the Department, this area was one where I would have loved to have had more time but, unfortunately, I did not. I am very glad there is a new face to An Bord Pleanála, if there is a face, because it is desperately needed. I believe 100% in An Bord Pleanála but I do not believe that how it operates at the moment can continue from a transparency point of view. It needs to change pretty fundamentally. If I was ever on the other side of the Chamber again, it would be one of my main priorities to put this into a programme for Government. In fact, I would insist on it. I do not think it can continue.

I want to raise five different areas, and this is more by way of discussion than questions. I will not ask the witnesses to speak about any individual cases, and if I mention one, it is not to look for a response. I am certainly not going to down the road that Deputy MacSharry went, basically mirroring a case all the way.