Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I love what Ms Walsh says about an evidence-based approach. I will keep that line because it is right, it is correct and it is consistent. I was interested to see that engagement there and how Ms Walsh stuck to the line so I fully agree with her on that. These are funny times, in Parliament and in this committee. We are now discussing these issues, which are important. I do not have many question but I thank the Climate Change Advisory Council for its input. We might come back to the Climate Change Advisory Council regarding the critical and important role it sees for the national planning regulator.

First, I turn to the Department. I welcome the Department officials. We all know of the importance of the national planning framework and we have debated this inside-out and upside-down. We have had debates in here on the new Planning and Development Bill. We are literally exhausted. I have been a member of this committee for two terms so it has been for a long time. I have not lost my enthusiasm for it but we have been talking about planning for a long time. I recognise the importance of a strong economy, building competitiveness, innovation, productivity and all of that. That is really important in a society and critical to proper planning and sustainable development going forward.

I sit on the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and I am always conscious we need to strengthen rural economies and communities and that is something we might have somewhat lost. I have not seen all of the submissions. If I am right, I understand the submissions from the Department will be published. Will Mr. Hogan come back to me on that? That is important because what we are hearing from the stakeholders who advocate for the strengthening of rural communities and economies, which go hand in hand, is that it is about quality of life issues. It is about diversity of the rural areas and all of that. In that context I want to yet again use the opportunity to raise rural planning guidelines. They have been going on for years. This very morning I received a letter from the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, TD, referring to correspondence he received on 30 November, 2024 about rural housing guidelines. He stated that the draft guidelines are subject to legal review and ministerial approval, following which it is intended they would be published for a period of public consultation. He further stated the current sustainable housing guidelines for local authorities 2005 continue to be in effect and will remain in place until advised otherwise.

The witnesses may have very well have written it themselves or had some act or part in it. I do not know and I do not need to know. What it illustrates for years the promises we have had for years. We have had officials in here week in and week out and we have had Ministers write to us to tell us about rural housing guidelines. We are now heading into a general election but rural communities want to know what is happening about rural planning guidelines. They want to build homes for their young people. They want sustainable, rural communities. They want their siblings to live close by them, with them, near to them. They want to see their parishes, schools and sports clubs survive. They want to go hand in hand and make their rural communities, their land of origin where they are deeply rooted, sustainable. Despite all of the talk we cannot get a commitment from anyone in government since 2005, other than to tell us the rural planning guidelines are being looked at and being drafted. The other side of it is, sure it is the terrible oul' Greens who are holding this up, no disrespect to the Chair, and I do not buy that at all but that is the line, off the record and down in the Customs House, that the Department can do nothing but that we will be out of that loop soon. That is the unofficial talk.