Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minster of State for taking the debate. I had asked last week for it to be discussed on the basis that the closing date for submissions on a planning application to An Bord Pleanála in my county is 1 December. We are naively waiting for draft guidelines, which the Department promised would be published a number of weeks ago. However, because of a delay, these will not be published and it appears from communication with the Department that we will not get the fully revised guidelines until January or February 2015. I, therefore, have a major issue that a large industrial planning application to build 46 industrial wind turbines, each 169 m high, will be scrutinised under guidelines that we all know are not fit for purpose and that are out of date. The reason we know that is the Government is in the process of introducing new guidelines.

I would like a commitment from the Department that one of two actions will be taken over the next number of days - the publication of the draft guidelines with An Bord Pleanála instructed to adhere to them pending the issuance of the revised statutory guidelines in January or the extension of the planning process to ensure the guidelines that will issue in January will be the ones under which the application to which I refer will be scrutinised. There is a rush on planning applications to ensure the pricing agreements signed up to by the previous Government with the CER under REFIT II can be adhered to. The reason for the glut of applications is the price per unit of electricity secured by companies. They will be scrutinised under guidelines that are out of date and not fit for purpose and that need to be updated. I would like peace of mind regarding the processing of this planning application and others in constituencies of Members throughout the country.

See this speech in context