Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

As Deputy Neville referred to almost every village in County Limerick, I am sure I will be allowed to refer to Tallaght. I represent Tallaght, Firhouse, Templeogue, Greenhills, Brittas and Bohernabreena. This important Bill gives me an opportunity to pay tribute to my good friend, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, who once lived in Tallaght. The Minister and I have much contact on many issues. Today, I raised the challenge presented by management companies, particularly in Tallaght. I welcome the Minister's announcement in conjunction with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for a €3 million anti-graffiti initiative for Tallaght. In any debate on infrastructure, it is good that such an issue is raised because graffiti affects many communities.

The purpose of the Bill is to amend the Planning and Development Act 2000 to provide for the introduction of a streamlined planning consent procedure for strategic infrastructure developments, which will be determined by a new strategic infrastructure division to be established within An Bord Pleanála, and to make consequential and other changes to the 2000 Act. The Bill also provides for a specialised planning consent procedure for major electricity transmission lines.

Some weeks ago the Minister was kind enough to facilitate me when St. Paul's secondary school, Greenhills, had a euroteens project. I, along with the pupils, was impressed by the Minister's grasp of the environmental brief. I am confident the Minister is the right man to deal with this Bill. The Bill embraces all aspects of community.

I have often spoken in the House about Tallaght, the third largest population centre in the State, describing it as having the population of a city but the status of a village. I have often spoken on the progress of infrastructural development in Tallaght. It started on 23 October 1990 when the Square was opened in Tallaght by Charles J. Haughey. As we speak I note thousands of my fellow Dubliners are in Donnycarney paying tribute to him. While people are entitled to make political points, unfortunately some have been made in recent days. The fact remains that the former Taoiseach was involved in many of our communities. In today's The Tallaght EchoI stated he always supported the growth ofTallaght.

In the past 16 years since the Square opened, other facilities one would expect in a major population centre have come on stream. Before the Acting Chairman retires, I invite him to come with me to Tallaght on the Luas, a key part of the area's infrastructure. Tallaght has its council headquarters, a civic theatre, a hospital and an institute of technology. It has many of the facilities one would expect for a major population centre. There is still much development taking place in Tallaght with 20 cranes in the town centre.

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