Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have listened to the Minister refer specifically to the site in question. I am speaking in a personal capacity but I believe my party would support my view. I would support special legislation brought by this House specifically to deal with the planning issues. There is a precedent. Planning permission for prisons are authorised by this House. The House is the planning authority for them. Given all the complexities, the Thornton Hall planning did not go through the normal procedures. It is possible that it would never have got through the hoops. I think the same happened another prison in Cork, although perhaps that is under way. The town of Portlaoise is in my constituency and planning is not a major issue there because the prison is located there.

This House has acted as a planning authority on major issues like prisons. I suggest the least we could do at this stage is remove the power from local planning authorities and that would remove the local issues from the case. This is a national issue. We are coming up to the centenary of 1916 and, if needs be, I call on the Minister to consult with his colleagues in government to see whether one of them or the Minister himself could bring the necessary legislation to the House to resolve in the national Parliament the planning issues once and for all.

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