Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 267 refers to section 30(11), which deals with the preparation or revision of regional spatial and economic strategy and the process involved. Section 30(11) provides that a regional assembly shall have regard to any observations and recommendations received during the process. Similar to what I had suggested in respect of the national planning framework and the Minister, it is important that a regional assembly would not only have regard to but would also respond to observations and recommendations. What I mean by respond to is that it would publish a written response of some sort which the people who have made submissions, observations or recommendations can access. In that way, they would see the response and know that their observations had not just been ignored or not given due consideration.