Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On that first key issue about our interaction with the Aarhus Convention, if I heard the Minister correctly, we do not bring it into our own legislation; it is in effect a European jurisdiction. I question that. There is a number of other instances where I will be looking to bring European Union directives into our legislation directly but as a convention which we have signed up to, I thought it would have legal effect. On Committee Stage we said we could not refer within legislation to a plan which does not have legislative form. I accept that point and we have withdrawn our amendments in that regard.

The second reason the Minister seemed to give was that because it was the responsibility of a number of Ministries to implement it, it would be inappropriate for the Minister to take on overriding responsibility for the management of the implementation of the Aarhus Convention. At its centre it is about public engagement in planning and therefore I thought it was right that this Bill, and this Minister, would have the responsibility of putting an agreed legislative check on our implementation of that convention. I am surprised by the argument that because it is an international convention it is beyond our legislative remit, if I am interpreting the Minister's earlier comments. I would prefer if the Minister would accept the amendment because I think it is appropriate.

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