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

I apologise for being a little late coming down from voting. I am not as nimble as some of my colleagues. I thank Ms Graham for such a succinct opening statement. As the Chair rightly said, we have gone through several of the pillars of planning. This pillar might have been the most difficult to digest or explain, but Ms Graham has set it out very succinctly and clearly. The key point I take from what Ms Graham has said is that it is very much a case of ensuring that we align with EU standards.

At the same time, we must robustly challenge the legislation we have in place to ensure that we are doing the best for our environment, while also aligning with EU standards. What are they key actions we need to take to enable the planning system to effectively implement EU policy initiatives? On the area of renewable energy and supporting infrastructure, is it fair to say that there is a commitment at EU level to pursue offshore rather than onshore wind energy?