Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I echo many of the concerns of my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, about the legislation. As he said, we are not opposing the legislation but we ask the Minister to consider some of the amendments because of the rushed nature of this process and the absence of scrutiny by the housing committee.

It is most important to consider the Deputy's amendment to delete what the local authority might consider "appropriate" and to ensure effective public participation. As with many issues in planning, the question of trust is most important. If people are opposing wind farms or large developments in their area, for example, but do not feel they are being heard, the system could fall apart.

I support online public meetings but we must rethink this in the context of a post-Covid world. The permanent nature of what is being introduced is wrong. Many people find the process opaque at the best of times but if there is provision for the process continuing at the discretion of local authorities, it would be a step backwards.

I am thinking in particular of east Kerry from Barr Dubh outside Killarney up through Cordal and into north Kerry. Everybody in that area should be able to participate fully in a process. People feel that when appeals go in, the process is not clear enough. From the initial hearing of a proposal, there must be full trust and confidence in what is going on.

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