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

The real issue here is not material alterations to the plan that might arise. It is to do with implementation of the stuff that is already agreed, which is a fundamentally different point. It is not so much about providing an opportunity for an amendment to the plan because that can happen through the procedures. It is to try to find a mechanism to track implementation. This is probably a bad example but, many Departments publish periodic implementation reports or action plan progress reports and so forth. We quibble about the content of them sometimes, but insofar as they provide accurate information, they are the mechanism of assessing implementation of the plan. That is what we are trying to get at with these amendments. The worry is that a huge amount of effort could go into the development plan. There can be implementation reports but there is a lack of consultation and it is a bit too late in the process. I am not going to waste time pressing the argument any further but I am not so sure the Minister of State or the officials understand what we are trying to get at with the amendments.