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

Fundamentally, with regard to planning, one local authority may have expertise and another may not. I do not want to digress but I will use the example of ministerial statements on planning. That is about ensuring that we have consistency across local authorities. Equally, we need to provide a structured process by which embodied carbon is measured in a consistent manner by local authorities. We as a Department are preparing that. We are working with the SEAI and other Departments, including DECC. When that comes out, we are legally required under EU directives to have them in place by a certain date. There is no reason we cannot have those in place before that date. Under our sustainable residential development compact, in appendix C, local authorities are required to consider various environmental aspects. They may have to do appropriate assessments, which they all have to consider. They have to consider ecological impact assessments, EIAs and site-specific flood risk assessments. They cover many of these areas already.

There are two aspects in respect of embodied carbon. First, we believe it is a function of building control, not planning. Planning is about the physical location. Second, there is work under way. We have to get a measure of it and that then will become a building control standard as distinct from a planning standard. We can differ on this. That is our final say on it.