Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on the Bill. This discussion is timely, in particular when there is so much discussion in the media and on the airwaves about flooding and bad planning. Ministers who visited various constituencies blamed bad planning for causing the flooding. The reality is that people were also beginning to blame bad planning for the flooding.

I am not an expert but I live in a constituency which has many rivers and waterways, including those close to where I live. Without fear of contradiction, the cause of the flooding in this country is the silt and filth left in the bottom of the rivers which has been allowed to accumulate over a long period of time. No matter how one examines the issue, if the rivers and drains were cleared we would not have had the type of flooding we have experienced. No-one can prevent, stop or blame the Government for the rain. However, it can take responsibility for the lack of drainage throughout the country.

I understand the Green Party has an interest in this issue because it has often said flooding is caused by various issues. The Government should develop a comprehensive drainage programme to alleviate the major hardship which was caused to many people in towns and villages across the country. If such a scheme were put in place, we would then be able to deal with the many issues which surround planning. There is no doubt many bad planning decisions have been made in the past. Decisions were made which would now not be made. Panels have made decisions they probably regret.

I am very concerned about the thrust of the Bill, namely, that it takes away power in terms of local knowledge from local people. That is a fundamental problem I have with the Bill. There is nobody who is better able to deal with local knowledge than local councillors. This Bill lacks a provision that would allow councillors have an input into local decisions. In recent years we have relied on An Bord Pleanála to make decisions in this regard. Who comprises its board? It is appointed by the Minister and comprises specialists who live in Dublin, miles away from the problems of rural Ireland, who sit in judgment of the planning decisions which go before it. Instead of passing this Bill we should give extra powers to local government members to have an across-the-board say in planning issues.

Area development plans are essential to many villages throughout the country. If we had a system in place with restrictions on the amount of land they can zone and planning permissions they can give with their local knowledge and input, we would have considerably fewer bad decisions. I challenge the Government on this matter. It is taking the democratic decisions. Whether the Government likes it or not, we are living in a democracy. We all want democracy. Democratic decisions are made for and on behalf of the people. That is what the Government is about and that is what we should be doing. If we want to see local government developed and strengthened, planning needs to be a responsibility of the local representatives who have the knowledge.

I recently met a man in my locality who sensibly told me that the maps used by An Bord Pleanála and the local authority are the wrong maps because they do not highlight the flood plains. The small 6-inch old-style maps that were in use many years ago point out every single area where flooding might take place. That is a major difficulty that has found its way into the present system. If the local representatives were able to use their knowledge, they would be able to install the sewerage schemes that are badly needed in almost very village in the country. For example, in my village of Golden, County Tipperary, for the past 20 years raw sewage has flowed from a pipe into the River Suir in one of the most beautiful and scenic parts of the country. That has been allowed to happen because we depend on central Government for funding to put that in place.

Most important local government decisions take place at a central level, including those taken by An Bord Pleanála. We need to bring back that power to the people and allow people who are proud of their areas to draw up the plan that would put in all the facilities, the sewerage schemes, the plans for the schools and the number of houses that need to be built. Experience is a good thing. These people can learn from their past experiences. We all like to develop the country and make it a better place in which people can live, work and educate their children. We all know the rural areas in which we live.

Certain parties in government have spoken out against rural housing policies. Whatever we do into the future the one-off rural house and the housing of families in rural areas needs to be protected. It is unfair for any party in government to put a stop to that. One of the finest qualities of life is to be had in rural areas of Ireland with fresh air, nice people, good road structure, etc. People want to live in rural areas. The Government, An Bord Pleanála or anybody else should not stand in the way of allowing people to live in the houses they want in such rural areas.

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