Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will take the next slot. The EU directives that we have and that we have transposed into law are there to protect the environment and our health and are there for our protection. They are often held up as a reason for things not happening. I think we have become slightly disconnected from the purpose of those directives. Sometimes people get caught up in saying nothing can happen because of whatever bird or some species. The famous case that is always referred to is the snail on the M7. The snail was an indicator species of something else that was present at the time, namely an aquifer. The snail is always portrayed as having held up the road, but it did not. It was an indicator. That is an example of the disconnect we have.

I have a couple of questions for Ms Graham. I refer to the complexity for local authority planners or An Bord Pleanála when they are dealing with these applications, which are highly complex, with much crossover between environmental law and planning and EU directives. Does feedback go to each local authority when a judicial review is held or if something is refused because of a failure to assess properly an environmental impact assessment report or the compilation of that report in that something should have been in it that was not included? I refer to a briefing stating, "Here is where the mistake was made." It may become apparent, as such a mistake would in most organisations. Does that happen at local authority level or with An Bord Pleanála?