Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Section 34 adequately deals with the question of reporting by the agency. Annual reporting is the normal procedure for agencies. Biennial reports would not be beneficial, as the agency's staff would spend half the year preparing and writing reports. It would also be time consuming and costly. However, I do not see a benefit, particularly since the Bill contains a wide range of provisions for bilateral communication between the agency and the chief stakeholders in the project. Providing for consultation and a communications strategy in the legislation will ensure regular reporting and, therefore, I do not propose to accept the amendment.

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