Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the guests for their presentation. What we are talking about here is massive. Land use and land use change and, as Mr. Keane just said, it is not just the farms or the lands where it happens, but it is adjoining land as well. We can basically say we are looking at much of the country here. My questions arise from the countries that are objecting. What is our position? It is not just the Dáil that can object. The Seanad can object as well and it has a massive role to play here. We can object on the principle of subsidiarity so we need to look at that and at what is in the regulation and see how we can tie in one with the other. I have two questions. The first is around the timeframe for objecting. The committee members probably think I should know. Normally it is eight weeks from when the document is presented to the Council, etc. Can we get clarity about how long we have before these objections have to be in for what we call the yellow and the red card procedure? Have we missed the boat here? I certainly hope we have not but I would like to know the timeframe. If we cannot halt this project so it can be substantially revised or thrown out, which could happen, we then get to the point where there has to be agreement with the Parliament and the Council of Ministers, and there are real opportunities to influence there. As Mr. Roddy mentioned, 70% of what was in the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, proposal from the Commission ended up in the final document and that generally tends to be the way. It is not without precedent that draft directives or regulations have been completely reversed and that is the kind of territory we are in here. There is much more I could say but I want to give others a change to get in.

I support what Senator Boyhan said about these being political decisions and we need to know where political parties and Government stand on this. Most of the people here will know I am quite pro-EU in many ways, and always have been, but when we are presented with something that looks to impact so significantly on land use and land use change, we cannot turn a blind eye. We have to have definite statements from those who are in a position to examine and investigate this regulation, look at its implications, etc., as to where they stand on it. I fully share Senator Boyhan's fears and concerns around this legislation.

If history has taught us anything, it is this. When we designated land before, I am old enough to remember the meetings where it was said there would be no designation without compensation. I attended those meetings. We now know where we are and what happened subsequently. What is the position of the relevant Ministers and the Government? What sort of timeframe do we have to object to this draft legislation?