Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

It is not agreed. For such an important issue, the Green Party has been allocated five minutes to make a contribution on a Green Paper which will have an impact, good or bad or most likely indifferent, as it does not rise to the challenges we face. It is completely unrealistic to try to pass it off with a five minute contribution and does not take into account the seriousness of the issue. This is an issue that must engage all of society at every level, as well as every single person, particularly the Government, which has a leadership role to play. It does not deal, for example, with the transport issue, the biggest challenge we have, or the planning issue which is giving rise to that challenge. If we are to take this issue seriously, we need much more time than that allotted by the Government.

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