Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I wish to speak to amendments Nos. 17 and 18. Amendment No. 17 reads as follows:

In page 6, lines 27 and 28, to delete "significantly" and substitute "substantially".

It is important we should strengthen the Bill in the context of the proofs required to include projects under the national spatial strategy or regional planning guidelines. The issue is that projects must be of serious import to be dealt with other than at local government level. The amendment seeks to introduce a significant change. I understand the Minister's amendment No. 13 more or less takes that point on board. I am not sure when we will debate the Minister's amendment. It is being indicated that it will be taken contemporaneously with the others and I welcome that because it strengthens the Bill as well as strengthening the test before a project can be considered strategic infrastructure. My amendment No. 18 seeks, in page 6, to delete lines 34 to 36. This is a critical issue because what we have done in the Bill so far is to identify the strategic importance of the infrastructure. Section 3(2)(a) states:

the development would be of strategic economic or social importance to the State or the region in which it would be situate,

Section 3(2)(b) states:

the development would contribute significantly to the fulfilment of any of the objectives in the National Spatial Strategy or in any regional planning guidelines in force in respect of the area or areas in which it would be situate,

Section 3(2)(c) states:

the development would have a significant effect on the area of more than one planning authority.

Given that we are concerned about the inclusion of paragraph (c) we seek its deletion from the Bill. It could refer to anything.

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