James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I will take the second half of the question first, in terms of the plan for the whole country and island. We recently unveiled the all-island strategic rail review. It is a blueprint and map for the Thirty-two Counties of the island to have a connected strategic infrastructure corridor crisscrossed with railways. That is the starting point for the ambition.

Some projects will, of course, come into being sooner than others. That plan goes out to 2050. I very much hope and believe that a lot of the essential services will be delivered long before that. The Cathaoirleach is a keen supporter of the DART+ Coastal North and the four tracks on the northside. Some issues relating to the new timetable were attributed to a lack of four tracks in certain places. Eventually, certain pull-in points, lay-bys, etc., were used inventively by Irish Rail to address some issues and that proved the point that the four tracks are very desirable. I would say the same regarding the line to my area. We could do with four tracks to Newbridge and beyond. We can do a number of things.

In terms of planning, the Cathaoirleach, like me and every Member of these Houses, would like to see things happen faster, better and more quickly and cheaply. We all want infrastructure advanced, but it is a complex system. We are in a situation whereby communities, stakeholders, residents and others affected can have their say. We have outsourced or delegated that to an independent function for a variety of solid historical reasons.

We have taken action in government to address some of the bottlenecks. It is always a balance in terms of the separation of powers. We want an independent planning system, but at the same time we want to assist those engaged in deliberations. We have provided more resources to An Bord Pleanála in recent times. We have appointed multiple new inspectors. The Houses recently passed the Planning and Development Act, which, as the Cathaoirleach will be aware, intends to fast-track a number of planning processes through the system.

We recently set in place the planning court to allow for judicial reviews to be taken. I hope they are taken as a last resort, but where they are taken or it is appropriate for them to proceed, resources have been provided. I understand three judges have been appointed to that division to hear those cases.

Additional resources for An Bord Pleanála, the new Planning and Development Act and the new planning court mean that planning will be progressed faster and more smoothly and with successful outcomes. Perhaps some issues will be front-loaded through the new Planning and Development Act so that by the time something gets to the planning process it is pretty much oven-ready.