Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The issue for me is who is the generator. In other words, does a county councillor present me with a plan or does the regional authority present a councillor or a citizen with a plan? Those issues are critically important, including the identification of weaknesses in the last spatial strategy. Mr. Cussen rightly said that was in a different era and, I might add, it was also a different government.

For example, the industrial development of County Louth was decided by a Cabinet meeting. At the time, under FOI, only the future spatial strategy for County Louth was released. It was Drogheda versus Dundalk, rather than Drogheda and Dundalk. In many respects, the criteria that will decide all of these hugely important strategic investment decisions cannot be imposed from above. These are critically important issues to get right. I presume they will be addressed when the legislation is going through.

There are just two other points that I want to make. One basic question comes back to the democratic process and the rights of communities to determine their own future. In order to get it right, one cannot have a massive bureaucracy stamped by the regional assembly, the independent regulator, the Department and the politicians. In order to get the mix right, local voices must be heeded. Mr. Cussen has a huge job of work to produce this legislation. If it is done right, it will be radical and good, but if it is wrong, it will be heavy-handed and overdosed with bureaucracy. That is the trap into which we could fall.