Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are in the early stages of the national planning framework review. Key to that will be to link down along in terms of the hierarchy to the climate action plan. As the Chair is aware, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, has just written to the local authorities asking them to complete their own climate action plans. They are legally required to do that. Within those climate action plans, they will obviously have to make reference to the national climate action plan. We are on a journey. The Minister has just issued guidelines. I think that will be the first step. It is front and centre in terms of the national planning framework. I refer to the regional plans, the county plans and local area plans. That is part of what we are doing under the new planning Act. We are making certain there is consistency and that it percolates down. As I said, this is new, and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has just written to the local authorities. They will have to do their climate action plans and will have to make reference to the national one and look at their existing plans. At this stage, virtually all counties have new plans. There are only a handful that still have to update their plans. The national planning framework will then be front and centre.