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

I will go back to the core point. If it is agreeable to members, I will undertake to come back on Report Stage, so that section 21 will read:

The Minister shall make provision for public consultation in the review of the National Planning Framework, including arrangements for consulting-

(a) members of the Oireachtas and Oireachtas committees,

I undertake to come back with that on Report Stage. I think that covers it in general terms.

On the point made by Deputy Ó Broin, I probably did not explain myself well so I will go at it again. Under section 22(2), the Minister in carrying out the review “shall have regard” and, obviously, he or she shall have regard to plans or documents that may be prescribed, so, by definition, they should be consulted. It states that this is “Without prejudice to subsection (1)”. That is in addition to the phrase “the Government may have regard to such plans or documents as it considers appropriate”. However, if the proposers of the amendment are asking Ministers or the Government to look at every single document out there, that is impractical.

The Government "shall" consult and look at documents that are prescribed, but it may look at anything else it deems relevant to the review. That is as good an explanation as I can give.