John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

What he is trying to say would be very clear to anybody listening to our discussion. An Board Pleanála is entirely independent. It makes decisions all the time and I would not agree with all of them. However, in terms of Ireland Inc., the board would be seen as representing Ireland in interpreting the habitats directive. We have to extricate ourselves from that difficulty. Following clear legal advice and working in conjunction with the Commission we came to this sensible decision. I am mindful of what the Commission expects from this country. We have dealt with a number of infringement proceedings but we cannot afford to continue infringing in this way because we must comply with our European obligations.

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