Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will be contributing at length during the later Stages of this Bill but I wanted to take this opportunity to emphasise the importance of proper public consultation. In Cork, serious concerns are being raised by people at the minute regarding the consultation process for residents who may be affected by one of the routes of the M20. These residents feel they are being shut out of the consultation process. Despite my efforts, I have been unable to arrange a group meeting or consultation for the residents of Whitechurch, Blarney and the surrounding areas. Many people do not have Internet access and many are not comfortable using the Internet or going online. People would like to meet with engineers in person to discuss their thoughts and opinions on housing and road developments. That is why I ask the Minister to discuss this matter with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and work together to come up with suitable alternatives for developments going forward. I advise him to do that. I am very concerned that this Bill will allow local authorities to not have public consultations and to do everything online or over Zoom or Teams. We are trying to be positive and constructive and I ask the Minister to take that advice on board.

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