Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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----- so I presume he will not discriminate against me.

I will not dwell too much on the issue of unfinished estates, although I have brought it up. While I share the views of Deputy Michelle Mulherin, I am not as inclined to blame local authorities, as responsibility rests with the Department, as well as those who did not insist on bonds. They allowed builders to cash in their bonds or go away without finishing works. The issue needs to be tackled. We speak about homelessness and housing, yet there are many unfinished estates across the country. There are no lights or the lights have gone out and not been replaced. There are no water services and the roads are in an appalling state. This is something that needs to be addressed and we need to be more specific about it.

The other issue I wish to raise concerns the various groups and bodies which are exempt from participating in the planning process. That is fine, but I want to relate an experience with the ESB. Its staff come on to a farm to put up a power line and it will do what it likes. I know farmers who have been put out of business. On the wettest day of the year, its workers walk in - if they walked in, it would not be too bad, but they bring in heavy machinery - plough up the place, do untold damage to drainage infrastructure and put farmers out of business, not just for that year but a couple of years. The land is made useless. What safeguards are built into this legislation to protect people? If the Minister of State is prepared to give companies carte blancheand free rein to enter people's property, will he outline the protections available to them?