Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

We would have to call it An Daingean. In this regard, the Bill is vitally important. It deals with improving the quality of life and protecting the environment. Both are possible if we are serious. I commend the Minister, Deputy Roche, for his determination in progressing the Bill.

The single stage process is important but I do not pretend it will be easy. I have heard others, including Deputy O'Dowd, discuss the possibility of our being trapped in resorting to judicial review and the courts in this process. Because I come from a local authority membership background I am not certain we have the correct balance in giving a real right of input to members of local authorities. The idea is a good one. I am not trying to row back on it, but I wonder if there is a danger, given the structure of city and county management and the lack of balance in the powers of elected members and managers, that the transmission of the views of the local authority to the board will be an exercise in tokenism. My reservations may be found to be without foundation. However, it is my experience that the views of local authority members are not taken with the same degree of seriousness as those of management.

The Bill proposes that specific types of infrastructure which are listed may be eligible to apply within the one-step application process. As others have spoken on this, I will not go through it in detail. We have not developed public consultation to its full potential in Ireland. We have the environmental impact process and public consultation, which we have gone through in respect of public housing and even small-scale projects where Part 8 or Part 9 of the planning Act is invoked and there is no recourse to the board. I am not sure, however, that it has always worked out well as far as local consultation is concerned. I do not suggest we provide opportunities for people to be obstructive because most interest groups are not. While there is much positive support for most developments flagged by local and national authorities, the concept of transparency which is often lacking should be developed further. In certain respects the Bill goes some way towards doing this.

Many delays have been caused by poorly prepared applications and environmental impact statements. The board will be able to tackle this directly. That the board will be able to access notes on consultation between developers and local authorities will assure the public of the transparency of the system. I commend the Minister for that measure. Any member of the public, a residents group or an environmental group will have the opportunity to make its views known on the proposed infrastructure project. We must strengthen this provision if possible. The board will have regard to a range of issues, including the submissions and objections made by local people and the local authority. The local development plan must be taken into account.

The metro project will test this Bill. Public consultation has begun, generating a high level of interest among local groups. It is a significant positive development for the city, the north side, the airport, Ballymun and Swords areas. Although one cannot make omelettes without breaking eggs, this Bill enables residents' concerns to be taken into account. The residents associations with whom local representatives are working are making a coherent case.

Deputy O'Dowd referred to the port tunnel and community gain. An informal, unsatisfactory arrangement was agreed to provide for the upset caused to the adjacent community by work on the port tunnel. The Minister is now making provision in statutory form for this community compensation. In the metro project area, one of the largest parks, Albert College Park beside DCU, will be out of commission for the duration of the construction and may never reopen. Finding the balance between local authority input and An Bord Pleanála is important.

I am pleased that section 9 will, at long last, make rogue developers pay for bad behaviour. I would like to have those branded rogue developers precluded from tendering for public projects. I do not know how this would be worded in the Bill but a number of these rogue developers come to mind.

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