Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

If this was only an emergency measure to deal with the difficulties of holding public meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic, I would support it. I am clear on the fact that it only relates to the holding of meetings at the very early, pre-plan stage. I make my comments in that context. The permanency of the Minister's proposed measures is a mistake, which is why Deputy Cian O'Callaghan and I have tabled amendment No. 6. Those early stage meetings are crucial. The difficulty is if, after Covid, we remove the mandatory requirement for local authorities to hold public meetings as well as online meetings and surveys at that early stage, a cohort of people will be excluded from the very start. This is the point at which, in many cases, the overarching strategy and core principles which will inform the plan are developed. There are people who do not have access to computers, people who have literacy difficulties and people who simply cannot or do not want to communicate in that way.

While I know the Minister is not going to accept any of the three amendments, Nos. 5, 6 and 7, I ask him to reconsider the issue of whether to continue with not requiring the holding of public meetings after the passing of Bill because I am not sure from where this permanency has come.

Clearly the managers of each local authority will discuss with the elected members the most effective form of communication. I believe that at that early stage they should be both in-person and online meetings to ensure the maximum participation.

We are having a range of interrelated discussions about problems with our planning system. I am firmly of the view that the greater the level of public participation at the earliest point in the process, the better the outcome will be for everybody. It is not that everybody will get everything they want in the final outcome, but everyone will have felt they were part of the process from the very beginning. That will also reduce the recourse to judicial reviews at a later stage. It is very often the inadequate access to public participation in various aspects of our planning process that leads people to feel that they have no other option than to seek justice through the courts.

However, it is concerning that some Members think accessing the courts is a bad thing. If people did not have access to the courts, we would not be dealing with the Derrybrien case today in the way that we are and thankfully moving forward from that. I do not advocate use of the courts; I advocate good planning. That is why the maximum public participation, including face-to-face public meetings at the very outset, is key. That is why I will be pressing amendment No. 6, but I ask the Minister to reconsider the matter in future in anticipation that these amendments fail.

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