Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

What we are trying to amend is the current wording, which states:

(n) a strategy relating to economic matters that-

[...]

(iv) identifies the means of maintaining and augmenting overall regional economic performance in accordance with national economic policy.

I do not have a problem with that if our proposed wording is agreed because it would add some context and balance in terms of the health and well-being of the regional population. Without the wording we are suggesting, and although the Minister is looking at a previous amendment we put forward, if there is no commitment or no change to this, it means there will be no balance at all in terms of human health and well-being. It is 2024 and we should be able to look at things not just in terms of economic drivers but also in terms of human health and well-being.

It should not be beyond us in terms of the legislation we are looking at for the next 25 years. It is fine to have national strategies, national policy and all the rest, but if we do not put this into our regional, spatial and economic strategies, it will not happen. People will just read that and they will follow and be guided by that, which is a narrow way of looking at things.