Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That was said with great courage and conviction. Well done. There are pros and cons regarding the Office of the Planning Regulator, and when it comes to the big cities and the big developments in particular, there is much merit in it. Ms Graham will be aware, however, that it is not universally welcome in rural Ireland and in rural counties. I will cite a specific example. In the development plans in rural counties, the OPR has been very regulated and has given prescriptive details in terms of the amount of land that is to be zoned, specifically relating to residential reserves, with large tracts of that removed. The problem in rural Ireland is always that land still carries a premium, whether it is zoned residential or for agriculture. If Johnny Murphy owns that land, he is determined he is going to farm it for the next 200 years, no matter what zoning is on it. There will be instances where land surrounding many provincial towns is zoned for commercial or residential that in all likelihood will never be developed in our lifetime. There is a concern that the diktats coming from the OPR are too restrictive, for example, for local councillors, who have the local knowledge and insight, who know very well that Johnny Murphy has no intention of ever selling that land, and who would have the wherewithal and foresight to say we should zone with Tommy Rooney, who would be much more disposed to selling his land. I can see obvious issues with politicising zoning issues. Within what the Office of the Attorney General is looking at, is there going to be any reshaping of the Office of the Planning Regulator or is that office sacrosanct and will it remain untouched by what is coming in the review and in the future legislation?