Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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Amendment No. 129 relates to the national planning framework and section 19. It is adds to section 19(1) where it states: "The Government shall prepare and publish a document to be known as the National Planning Framework." My suggested amendment adds, "which should be adopted by a resolution of the Oireachtas". The reason I tabled this is that all of our planning documents, from the lowest level, from local area plans to county plans and regional spatial strategies, are all adopted by elected members and they set out a blueprint on planning and on how an area is going to develop. However, this one, which is our national document under which all of those are meant to sit within a hierarchy and align with, is not required to be passed by the Oireachtas. We do not even get to debate it, as far as I know. It would be very helpful because much of the conflict we see in planning is blamed on planners making decisions. We have to realise and the public needs to know the national planning framework is from where all of these things are guided, whether that is national objectives, such as compact growth. It is often controversial when we try to have compact growth or high-density development. It is because it is a national objective and that feeds down through the plans.

I think we have a roadmap for the national planning framework, this March or April. There is an opportunity there to have that debate in the House about what proper planning and sustainable development is. Members can stand up for the planning system because our planning system is not all bad. Planning is for the good. It is generally where we get these conflicting arguments, as though at some level we can wash our hands of it and say, "It is nothing to do with us."

These things come from the Oireachtas. I know the national planning framework is Government policy. It could reasonably be argued that it is Government policy, the Government sets policy and, therefore, everything below it should agree with it. It is an opportunity and it would be helpful for the planning system in general. National representatives cannot just wash their hands of the planning system that comes from something they put forward.