Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I refer to the foreshore and marine area development Bill. The recent consultation on the exploration off Dalkey was based on 1933 legislation. We only found out when the three weeks were almost up that it was possible to make a submission and so on. There have been interventions in the House about it.

The Taoiseach might remember that in the 29th Dáil, Trevor Sargent spoke about this Bill virtually every day. He was then in government for three or four years but did absolutely nothing to bring it in or to update the existing legislation. What is the position on that front?

Yesterday, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, responded to me in regard to Belmayne. She has been an outstanding colleague of mine for the past two decades and she gave me the information she had to hand in the Department. I asked her two fundamental questions. Is it time-----

See this speech in context