Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In my priority question earlier, I raised the issue of EirGrid's ambition. In his response, the Minister referenced the public consultation. The truth is that what is happening in this area is a perfect example of how not to do planning. At a meeting of the climate committee yesterday, where we discussed ambition in terms of transport, one of the contributors raised a point around the planning process and the concept of procedural justice. The communities in counties Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Tyrone and Armagh feel that their voices have not been heard in this process. Time and again, their opinion has not been noted. The Minister needs to recognise that.

There is a solution to the problem, namely, a co-design process involving all the stakeholders and an independent review. Everybody should have their say in terms of how that review is designed and then the review can be conducted. I am confident that this proposal will get cross-party support. If the Minister does that, he will find a solution to what currently seems to be an intractable problem.

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