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

The point is that the targets are real but they are not caps. I believe there is not that much difference between what the Government is proposing and what the Deputy is seeking. From the 1990s the population of County Meath doubled and much of that was in the towns and villages, particularly in the east of the county, but in some measure throughout the county. It was that kind of "zone and build" policy which was national policy at the time.

The Government wants to ensure the development of Meath and other places into the future is underpinned by sustainability. What I mean by that is keeping people living close to their work, their education and other amenities they wish to avail of. That is why the central plank of the national planning framework is around rebalancing development into the next ten and even 30 years. The huge population increases we have seen in Dublin and the area centred on Dublin in the last 30 years are unsustainable for the future. Part of that is the national planning framework itself but I want to emphasise that, despite the figures mentioned, none of this is set in stone. There is an ongoing process between all local authorities, regional authorities and the Department as to how the national planning framework will actually play out in terms of development in every region across the country. However, the central point is to ensure that more than half of the development of the country in the next 30 years is outside of Dublin. There is no question, and I do not want anyone to think there is, of de-zoning tracts of land in Navan. That is not on anyone's agenda.

I emphasise before I finish that my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy English, hoped to make it to the debate, but he had a commitment to attend a housing meeting earlier. I was on the phone to him and he was not in a position to respond directly.

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