Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I accept the point that large-scale residential developments will not simply be 100% composed of regular housing or student accommodation.

We want communities with other things that people need. The point is that this is the threshold by which developments can get in to this special LRD process. If they do not get into this process, they still have to go through a regular planning process. The point we are making is that it is appropriate to provide that to avail of this special planning process 70% of the development must be made up of residential units. The Minister said he does not propose to bring it down to a particular level but, presumably, he will not be the Minister forever. A future Minister may well decide to bring it down. That is a problem.

There is also the basic democratic point that a future Government could have a problem with the 70% and want to reduce it to 60%, which is fine, but the matter needs to be brought before the Dáil for debate as opposed to the Minister, with the stroke of a pen, having the capacity to do that. That is problematic.