Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

The problem with section 37F(2) is that we do not have a clear idea as to what the Minister is proposing as paragraph (a) contains the phrase "as appropriate". We have no idea, nor has the public, what the Minister means by "as appropriate". I ask that the Minister give a firm commitment at this Stage to clarify exactly what will be legally required because he may decide in his wisdom that he does not want to see site notices. He should give some commitment to the House this evening that he will require site notices and newspaper notices and that they will go at least as far as the existing legislation if not much further. In fact the Minister should advise any property owner or inhabitant who lives beside the development on what is going on as is the case under Scottish law. Given that the Minister has massively shortened the possibilities for public input into the process, he should give some indication that the public will be consulted before these schemes are rushed through.

See this speech in context