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

The Minister of State said he is satisfied that this proposal is Aarhus compliant and that the Attorney General has told the Department it is compliant, which is the standard response when I raise anything to do with Aarhus. We are told that the Attorney General has looked at this and that it is Aarhus compliant. Has the Attorney General specifically looked at the Aarhus Convention compliance committee communication, ACC/C/2015/131, issued on 26 July 2021? This communication states:

The time frame for bringing an application for judicial review of any planning-related decision within the scope of article 9 of the Convention is calculated from the date the decision became known to the public and not from the date that the contested decision was taken ...

If the Attorney General's office looked at that communication, how could it possibly think this proposal is Aarhus compliant? Will the Minister of State explain that? If the Attorney General's office has looked at this communication specifically and concluded the proposal is Aarhus compliant, it rubbishes anything the Minister of State said regarding what that office stated is Aarhus compliant. Clearly, this is not Aarhus compliant. We need to adhere to that instruction from the Aarhus compliance committee and it should be in the legislation. It is deeply worrying. If the Attorney General's office has looked at that communication and stated that we are Aarhus compliant, it is deeply troubling. Will the Minister of State confirm that it has looked at that specifically? If it has, how can it possibly conclude the proposal is Aarhus compliant?