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

I will probably speak to them separately, but if the Minister of State wishes to respond to them collectively, it is fine if we deal with them one by one. Amendment No. 222 represents the second part of the Irish Planning Institute’s general concerns raised with the committee and in its subsequent written submission regarding national planning policy statements. We had a detailed debate with the Minister of State earlier about the first of these concerns. The amendment is straightforward. It reads: "Notwithstanding the repeal of section 28 of the Act of 2000 effected by section 6, any guidelines issued under this section that were in force immediately before such repeal shall continue in force on or after such repeal, other than guidelines issues under section 28 IC of the Act of 2000, which shall be deemed to be non mandatory guidelines under section 28 until—"." My concern is that the Government is strengthening the process for turning what were section 28 guidelines into national planning policy statements. This amendment was drafted prior to the publication of the Government’s mechanisms, which we dealt with at the start, for dealing with the transition from section 28 guidelines to new national planning policy statements. What the Irish Planning Institute is trying to do with this amendment, and which I support, is clarify the non-mandatory status of the existing section 28 guidelines post the Bill’s passing. My view is that they should be non-mandatory, as they are just guidelines. I suspect I have a snowball's chance in hell of the Minister of State supporting this amendment, but he cannot blame me for trying.