John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Bailey for sharing time. I was keen to make some points and I was afraid that I would not get in if I did not ask her for some time.

The debate thus far clearly exemplifies the divergence of opinion that exists on planning matters in Irish politics in general.

In this Chamber, diametrically opposed opinions have been expressed, even in the hour and a half in which we have heard speakers. This is best exemplified by the contributions in the slot shared by Deputies Eamon Ryan and Catherine Murphy. I acknowledge they are in different political parties but their views were quite different even though they represent constituencies that are not that far apart geographically. Despite this, they were both significantly right in large parts of their contributions.

On Deputy Eamon Ryan's point on densities, I may be mistaken but believe I read recently that a former Member of the House from the Green Party, now a councillor, expressed regret over the recent proposal by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to remove height caps in Dublin city centre. Perhaps it is not the only way density can be increased in the city centre but it is certainly an obvious way. Deputy Catherine Murphy's point, that we cannot stop people from having children, goes without answering.

Deputy Casey, in an extraordinary contribution, praised the spatial strategy, which I do not believe I have ever heard a public representative praise, and had a go at the framework for not being specific enough. The purpose of this debate and others, and the public consultation, is to put more flesh on the bones. I commend my two ministerial colleagues and others in the Department who have put in such work on the planning framework. It is just that, a framework. It will not be prescriptive regarding the nitty-gritty of every local authority's development plan but it will set national targets and objectives. That is the right thing to do.

I agree with most of what Deputy Cowen said. I was surprised to hear his lament for the demise of the Bermuda triangle of Tullamore, Athlone and Mullingar. I suspect there will hardly be a protest march in those towns over its demise. Perhaps the best example of why the spatial strategy did not really work is the fact that it was not an entity that had any buy-in from the general public. It might have had buy-in from the groups the Deputy mentioned, but it did not really mean anything to the broader public.

I have two remaining points. Deputy Ó Laoghaire, or perhaps another Deputy, alluded to broadband and Wi-Fi. We saw the benefits best recently during Storm Ophelia when, despite the fact that the country was closed for a day or a little more, much business continued because people could work from home. There is a significant number of people, particularly along the east coast but also in other parts of the country, who commute huge distances but who would be in a position to work from home much more if the appropriate facilitates were more widely available. I cannot emphasise enough the significance I attach to this.

My view on this is biased but I will express it anyway. There are two regions of the country more ripe for development than any others, for very different reasons. The north west, to the line from Galway to Dublin, lacks a major urban centre. This must be and is being addressed in the framework. The other region is mine, the south east. The latter has three motorways, two railway lines, an airport and three ports but it has the lowest average household income and the highest unemployment rate, which is 3% above the national average. Despite these statistics, it is the closest region to the Cork-Dublin axis. Why has this trend persisted for my entire lifetime, amounting to almost 40 years? I know efforts are being made in the plan to ensure the region, which can be developed rapidly because of its infrastructural advantages and location-----

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