Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Oireachtas joint committee of which Deputy O'Rourke is a member will have a critical job in the pre-legislative scrutiny of that important legislation. It is more a reorganisation than major reform because it recognises that the existing 2000 Act had been amended so many times that often it was contradictory, unintelligible or difficult for either someone opposed to a development or someone in favour of a development to work his or her way through it.

We have to tighten up the timelines around our planning system. The way I look at it, any reasonable assessment would say it takes approximately ten years to get a bus lane built in this country at present and that is not quick enough. In so many areas, it is incredibly expensive and incredibly problematic in every way.

The legislation cannot impede or restrict the access to justice and cannot undermine the European requirements for environmental protection. We will have a decision later on today, I understand, from the advocate general which doubles down on the need for that. It is a reorganisation rather than a complete reform.

If I was to say what is the most important element, I would say that legislation is vital. We need that quickly through the Oireachtas, from my perspective, because everything, not only in transport but in housing, energy and water, is in a real state of uncertainty because of the long timelines. However, the biggest issue, I would say, is the resourcing, particularly of the likes of An Bord Pleanála and local authorities. The Deputy is correct that we have to be careful we do not put everything through An Bord Pleanála on an emergency basis because the local authority system works and the planning system works. It is not that we have to throw it out. We have to make sure it works quicker. The biggest constraint in that regard is resources, particularly within An Bord Pleanála but also local authorities. The greatest challenge there we are seeing in so many different areas is it is hard to get people because our economy is at full tilt and all the companies that are involved in energy, water, transport, housing and waste infrastructure are looking for the same planners that we could use in An Bord Pleanála or in the local authorities. Resourcing is probably the most important constraint and is the biggest threat to the NDP.