Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Boyd Barrett, Gino Kenny, Paul Murphy and Bríd Smith for tabling these amendments. We discussed this at some length on Committee Stage and we had a good engagement where I was able to explain the rationale behind this. I agree with Deputy Healy-Rae. I know he is not a member of the Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage so he did not take part in that discussion but what we are doing with this Bill is bringing planning back to local authorities. Instead of An Bord Pleanála making decisions above and over the heads of local authorities, we are bringing it back to local authorities and redemocratising many aspects of planning. It is not a replacement of the HSE - gabh mo leithscéal, I meant to say it is not a replacement of the SHD, strategic housing development, process. Rather, we are ending it-----

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