Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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I welcome Mr. Sheridan and his team. Like Senator Keane, I, too, regret the necessity for this Bill. I represent an area that was subject to more planning abuse than any other area in the whole country, namely, the Clondalkin, Lucan and Palmerstown area. We were deprived of our town centre because of the inappropriate behaviour on the old Dublin County Council in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We have to live the rest of our lives with the problems to which that has given rise. In many ways, I do not like the idea of having a new institutional arm, the Office of the Planning Regulator, because in a sense it removes the democratic input to planning, but I understand why it has to be put in place.

How will the national planning framework make a difference between what will happen and the practice before now? We had a situation a few years ago when in my view there were far too many areas designated as areas of development, rather than keeping it to just three or four. Will the new framework have an impact on that number?

I have been asked to raise an issue which is not included in the Bill. Will it be possible to add an addendum in this regard to the Bill? There is a specific commitment in the programme for Government to promote and support universal design whereby all environments can be used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of age, ability or disability. Is there any way this provision could be tagged on as an addendum to the Bill? While progress has been made, particularly in term of access to public buildings for those in wheelchairs and so on, it has not trickled down to housing. It would be very advantageous for us if we could get to the stage that housing was built in such a way from the start so that it would be more accessible for everybody.