Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the need for environmental designations. They are important, as is saving a species on the brink. Having said that, we need to come up with solutions in order to allow places like the Beara Peninsula to develop, grow and flourish. To go back and say there will be no more planning permissions is not good enough.

That brings me to another point. I appreciate that this is like a clinic. The other issue I am aware of relates to Dunmanway. It is a similar issue relating to the freshwater pearl mussel. Dunmanway is a big town with a population of well over 2,000. It has what I would describe as a brand-new wastewater treatment plant which is only ten years old. It cost multiple millions and was built for a capacity of 3,500 people, I believe, so there should have been a buffer of 1,500 people. There is an issue that Cork County Council is no longer granting planning permissions, be it for one house or ten, no matter what it is. A town like Dunmanway will never grow or develop unless that issue is resolved. Is there a solution for Dunmanway to bring in increased capacity so development can be allowed again in the town?