Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That message will certainly go back. We have the same message as well. We would like this finished to bring clarity to this issue. We have tried to pre-empt what might happen with our work on the national planning framework. The Deputy will see the slight change we have made in rural planning which is along the same lines. We are all very clear on this. There is often a conversation here about rural Ireland but if the Deputy looks back over recent years, quite a few one-off houses, numbering in the thousands, are developed and permitted in rural Ireland. In some areas, such as Galway, the majority are one-off houses. As a planning authority and Department, we are open to one-off housing in the appropriate setting and place. We would all agree it cannot be excessive in an unco-ordinated way in pressure zones. The Flemish decree is an interpretation of that. We have dealt with that pretty well and we will see what the working group brings forward. We will move swiftly after that to issue guidance to local authorities to enable councillors make their decisions on development plans.

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