Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Dublin City Council made its decision in accordance with current planning regulations. Were the Government to have stepped in and said that three One Direction concerts had already been held and that the five involving another artist fell outside the agreed parameters, it would certainly have been accused of coming the heavy.

Major acts have been involved in huge outdoor concerts at locations throughout the country, including Pairc Uí Chaoimh, Semple Stadium, Limerick, Kilkenny and the RDS and Croke Park in Dublin, on previous occasions and no difficulties or hitches arose. There is a need to consider how the process operates. I have asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to examine the operational regulations. These certainly need to be considered in the context of the timeline requirements for the submission of applications by event organisers, the consideration of such applications by the relevant planning authority in advance of a series of events or concerts taking place and the absence of a specific appeals mechanism regarding decisions made in respect of event licences. Of course, judicial review is an option which can be considered in the latter context. These three issues must be examined in respect of Croke Park.

I have seen Deputy Dooley's Bill and I accept that it is genuine in nature. As the Deputy stated yesterday, the Government can consider it and make any changes it considers necessary. I will absolutely examine the legislation which has been brought forward. In the context of the conversation I had with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government about the relevant regulations, let us see if there is something positive Government can do in order that this cannot happen again. The cancellation of this event is a major loss to the country. It will have an impact on the goodwill of all those fans of Garth Brooks, not to mention the hard economic impact it will have on so many others. It is a mess. There is an issue here to which consideration must be given. That is why the Government did not intervene. Dublin City Council made its decision based on the existing planning regulations. I will examine Deputy Dooley's Bill in order to discover whether it might be used in some form or other to allow the Government to consider the three points to which I refer.

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