Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----but that is precisely what the Mahon report suggested, namely, that we change the way we do planning and that we would have an independent regulator. There is no point in creating the planning regulator's office if it cannot effectively regulate. If we take that route, it will just be an expensive waste of time. The Garda issue is a good comparison because we have created the illusion of reform at some considerable cost but reform has not been delivered.

It is interesting that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, said on Committee Stage that this was not an absolute position for him. I would have said there was an expectation that the Government might have taken on board some of these points at this stage because it is pretty fundamental. It is very regrettable that the Minister has not chosen to do that. Deputy Catherine Murphy was quite correct in pointing to the legislation that was passed prior to Christmas and that, in essence, gave us the gift of allowing big planning applications of 100 units or more or applications for student accommodation of 200 units or more to go directly to An Bord Pleanála.

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