Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support Deputy O'Dowd's last point on the taxing of empty homes, albeit I will not go any further away from the Bill. I support Deputy Ó Broin's amendments, in particular those on the Aarhus Convention. I refer in particular to his amendment seeking to provide for a report on compliance with the convention. One of the problems with planning in Ireland is that the public are not generally aware of their rights to information and to comment. Only a small sector of the population takes an interest in these matters. One of the main functions of the planning regulator is going to be an educational one. There is a need to ensure that the legislation complies with the Aarhus Convention. We have had other amending legislation on planning in the lifetime of the Dáil. I support the amendments proposed by Deputy Ó Broin.

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