Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We should not make the mistake of thinking that what happened in Athenry is the norm. It is not. Data centres have been and are being built all over Ireland for other companies such as Amazon and Facebook. It has not deterred other companies from investing in Ireland or building data centres here. It is understood that the Apple centre in Athenry was an exceptional situation and not a failure of the planning process. In fairness to the council and to An Bord Pleanála, it was in the courts that it got stuck.

I accept we need to make reforms to the planning system in several areas. There needs to be greater use of the strategic infrastructure Act to fast-track planning. Reforms to the Planning and Development Act will come before the House in the next few months. I know Deputy Grealish will want to make an input into that. It will perhaps make it less easy for people to take judicial reviews and also ensure our court processes work much better. It is not just about the employment of additional judges but also about cases being managed much better.

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