Mr. John Sheahan:

Senator Seery Kearney asked how we would stitch this into county development plans and so on. If we do not, the LDA will run roughshod over all planning frameworks, be it the national planning framework, the national development plan, regional spatial and economic strategy, RSES, plans, master plans and even retail strategies. At local level, we have to take regard - actually, we need to take statutory notice now - of all these documents. If we do not stitch what we are discussing into city and county development plans, we will create a body that can run roughshod over all those policies and have carte blancheto do what it wishes.

Ministerial direction was the way to go in the past. The Planning Regulator was set up to take some of that burden off the Minister. However, Ministers should be responsible for policy. If the LDA is set up in the way proposed, it will be given carte blancheto do what it wishes in some local authority areas. That is why we want to stitch in this point.