Ms Attracta U? Bhroin:

A Chathaoirligh and members of the committee, we wish to open by expressing our sincere appreciation for the invitation to engage with the committee in this hearing on this critically important draft Bill and for its recognition of IEN as a key constituency of stakeholders with an interest in, experience of and expertise in these matters. I am IEN’s environmental law officer. I represented the environmental pillar on the planning advisory forum, a stakeholder group for the Attorney General’s review of the Planning and Development Act. Ms Phoebe Duvall, planning and environmental policy officer with An Taisce, who represented An Taisce on the forum, joins me today and will give part of this opening statement. She is here with Dr. Elaine McGoff who is on the environmental pillar’s steering committee and is natural environment officer at An Taisce. We are delighted to be joined by Dr. Fred Logue, managing partner, FP Logue Law LLP. We hope his further expertise and experience will be of use to the committee in its considerations during the pre-legislative scrutiny process. We acknowledge the public interest served by his constructive engagements to ensure this Bill provides a legally compliant, sensible and robust legislative framework for planning and development in Ireland.