Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

We either have a national spatial strategy or we do not, and a laissez-faire approach to planning or not. If we are to seriously consider the implications of the Kyoto Protocol and the need to put people, premises and communities closer so that people can live, work and relax, we would implement the national spatial strategy instead of having a Government that gives only ad hoc responses. I have no confidence that the Minister will deliver on the national spatial strategy because I doubt that he even understands its implications and what it can deliver. He allowed his colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, to completely reverse its contents.

When one examines in detail the Dáil replies from the various Ministers as to whether they are implementing the strategy, half of them are kicking to touch. There has been no concerted effort to deliver on the strategy. The people will suffer. The towns, communities and villages will fail to achieve the critical mass outlined as part of the strategy, which said clearly that investment in the gateways and hubs is essential if we are to achieve the critical mass which would allow urban areas to compete at European level. That has been miserably diluted by the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy. The national spatial strategy will not be delivered on because it has been so diluted that it no longer stands up.

It is not good enough for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to pay scant regard to planning when implementing policies, nor for a Government to pay little regard to the people in their views on voting when the Minister introduces e-voting. The Minister ignores the Kyoto Protocol, while Ireland is the worst country in Europe regarding its implementation. He then boldly says that we are doing great things and will achieve these ambitious targets, when nothing could be further from the truth. That is not good enough. We have a Minister consumed by the needs of business, who pays little regard to the needs and issues of ordinary people, who is introducing policies which are the polar opposite of what the plain people of Ireland wish to see, and who pays scant regard to the programmes of his Ministry which were put in place a long time ago. I support the motion of no confidence in the Minister. We could do better. To put the environment, heritage and planning on the agenda, we need to have a change of Minister and of Government.

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