Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

My amendment No. 594 refers to section 83, the heading of which is "Matters to which planning authority and Commission shall have regard". It lists out a number of items which it should have regard to in its decision-making but, at subsection (1)(a)(x), it says, "the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 and the duties and obligations imposed by that Act,". The Minister will be aware section 15 of that Act is required to be consistent with it. My concern is that when one states that a planning authority or the Commission shall only have regard to something that we know that all sectors and agencies shall be consistent with, it weakens the language of the climate Act. We should amend this or, if the Minister wishes, return to this in a manner in which it states quite clearly the planning authority and Commission, etc., shall be consistent with the objectives of the climate Act.