Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister of State to bear with me because we have plenty of time to do this. I do not see, given the size and scale of a national planning policy statement or a mandatory ministerial guideline, how one could comply with EIA, SEA or AA requirements under EU law or Aarhus requirements for public participation.

I cannot see any set of circumstances where, given the significance of these policy statements and the fact that they have statutory impact, there would not be a consultation. I invite the Minister of State to give us an example. Of the 30 mandatory ministerial guidelines issued under section 28, has any ever issued without public consultation? If not, will the Minister of State give us an example of who defines what is an urgent need? When something was urgent during Covid, for example, planning exemptions were extended for field hospitals and other facilities for which there was a very quick and clear procedure. What kind of national planning policy statement would be deemed so urgent that it would not need public consultation or consultation with any of the actors there? How is that compliant with the relevant EU directives for EIA, SEA and AA? How is it compliant with the Aarhus Convention and will the Minister of State give us an example?