Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Some 45 minutes has been scheduled on Thursday for the Opposition to engage on the national marine planning framework, NMPF. As the Taoiseach knows, serious concern was conveyed to the Government through the Business Committee from a range of Opposition Members, including Sinn Féin.

The NMPF is a major planning framework. It has legal consequences for our coastal communities, inshore fishermen, environmental NGOs and a range of organisations that want to have their say and come before the Oireachtas committee to do so. Rather than facilitate that discussion through the Oireachtas committee, the Government is going to ram the framework through, with five minutes speaking time allocated to each Opposition party. It is completely wrong.

I appeal to the Taoiseach, at this late hour, to put the debate back for another week and allow the environmental NGOs and inshore fishermen to have their say on this matter and advise us of the problems that might exist. It is much too important to be rushing through. I appeal to the Taoiseach to put the debate back, at least for another week, to allow for proper consultation, rather than rushing it through with minimum scrutiny tomorrow.

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