Mr. Niall Cussen:

Senator Keane queried the national planning framework. The national planning framework is intended to succeed the national spatial strategy, which in effect is the highest level plan we have at present but it harks back to a different time, 2002. The Government has approved the preparation of a new national planning framework and for it to provide a co-ordination function for the new regional spatial and economic strategies, which will replace the regional planning guidelines model we had in the past. It will try to bring about a more holistic approach, bringing economic development, planning, environmental protection and other such issues together. There will be one national planning framework and three regional spatial and economic strategies to align with each of the three new regional assembly areas, midland and eastern, southern and northern and western. That will provide the framework for co-ordination at local level. They are priorities for progression development later on this year and probably into the first part of 2016.