Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise that I missed the start of the debate. I was in the middle of a planning advisory forum meeting and I had to depart from that because the Dáil schedule accelerated.

I do not come in here to defend things just for the sake of doing it; I need to believe in it in the first instance. That is core to me as a politician. The Deputy has cited a specific example that is unfolding before his eyes. If this proposal were enacted without any due diligence, it would have an effect on the entire country. We will need to have a look at that. I will undertake to talk to the Housing Agency in the first instance because it conducted that wide-ranging review of Part V, which was well debated in this House at the time. Many allegations flew around from left, right and centre about submissions and whatnot. I will engage with the agency and I commit to coming back to Deputy Ó Broin on the matter. I understand the point he is making about scale or if it relates to a sequential development. I will raise those issues with the Department.

Unfortunately, I cannot accept this wording because of the consequences it would have across the country based on one specific example without due diligence. I think that is a reasonable response at the moment. I undertake to come back on that.

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