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

First, with regard to section 40(7)(b), where it states: "The Minister may require two or more planning authorities to coordinate the development plans ...", the difficulty with that is that the Minister may not exercise that. If the Minister does not exercise that, and given how busy the Minister's Department is going to be, that may not happen. The default then is section 40(7)(a). With regard to section 40(7)(a) and that wording there, how does that compare to the 2000 Act, or is it a completely new wording? The Minister might answer that but I have subsequent questions.