Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There can be positive and negative elements to them. There can be suggestions for how a scheme can be improved. It is a positive process. It is legally required but even if it were not, it improves schemes in a number of different ways. It is not only about bringing people with us and it is not just about persuading people that this is a good scheme; it is about going out to people who live in that local area or to people who have specific knowledge, whether that is technical knowledge, expertise and professional knowledge, or just local knowledge from those living there who know the areas that flood and so on. It is getting that included, with the engineers, so that we get a better scheme that actually lasts. When we talk about sustainability, that is just a word for something that will last a long time. If we are doing a flood scheme that will take the better part of a decade to complete, we certainly want it to last for many decades into the future. It is a stronger scheme with public consultation and that is why we have such consultation.

See this speech in context