Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I am disappointed the Minister of State has found it difficult to understand my difficulties with the core strategy that will compel plans for every region. That is at the heart of the Bill. Every region, county, city, town and village will be compelled to demonstrate it conforms with targets set by the national spatial strategy. We know the national spatial strategy process is flawed. It has no democratic legitimacy as it was never discussed in the House. The Minister of State speaks about refreshing the national spatial strategy when in fact it is being reviewed.

What the Minister of State is doing is illegal; a strategic assessment of this legislation, which is required under European law, was not carried out. The targets the Minister of State is seeking to implement, from the top down through the core strategy to all local area plans and development plans, are being set by unelected unaccountable people without reference to the economic, environmental or demographic reality. This is a lot of power to give a Minister of a Department. It removes the local say and the accountable and democratic opportunity people have had at local level. Notwithstanding that guidelines must be adhered to I believe the national spatial strategy in its current format has failed. I do not see any conformity in Government policy to the national spatial strategy introduced in 2002; we know this from decentralisation and other policies implemented at the time.

The environmental reality of the effects of the implementation of a national spatial strategy are unknown. Therefore, we need to have an assessment carried out. After eight years of the implementation of the flawed national spatial strategy, what is its outcome? What implications has it had? What has it done for the country? What are the implications for the regional planning guidelines? Basing our entire planning system on a national spatial strategy based on environmental imponderables is not just illegal but wrong.

I have a fundamental issue about the definition of "core strategy" as outlined in the Bill and I will oppose it for that reason.

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