Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

I take on board the Minister of State's remarks about allowing for consultation with the Minister for local elected representatives. In some ways, this increases democracy because often it is the unelected manager who rules the roost. Now, the Minister will be able to set out guidelines and intervene. The Minister will have the power to look at special cases and ensure local issues are taken on board.

There is a fundamental disagreement in this debate about what constitutes democracy and what constitutes the lowest effective level. As a member of the Green Party, I have always pushed for decision making at the lowest effective level but, unfortunately, decision making at that level in the past did not prove to be that effective.

This planning Bill must be taken in the context of the White Paper on local government and the plans for the Dublin mayor, where new regional assemblies are being planned with much more influence and clout that will in most cases take over from the Minister so he has less direct influence, with the guidelines ensuring it is barely necessary to contact him. As long as elected members stick within the framework, there will not be a problem. It is fundamentally undemocratic to allow a small number of elected representatives to make decisions that have far reaching implications beyond their local area without a framework.

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