Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

What does that mean? In telling this House for months that the decision is coming shortly and then providing a specific date, the end of October, it is not good enough to be glib and state that it will come shortly. The livelihood of interested parties depends on this decision and it is a matter to get right.

The Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business has had detailed discussions with all interested parties. I was aghast to hear the Minister dismiss all this on a radio programme as being irrelevant, and that the work done on a cross-party basis by the joint committee was of little concern to him. When will the Minister appear before the joint committee to hear the views of all members, including members of his own party, on the issue and reach an accommodation? The joint committee is agreed on change that will drive forward an agenda to best protect the consumer and present choice, accessibility and proper spatial planning.

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