Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. She has given me much of the same information I have been given on previous occasions when I have raised this matter. I am not trying to undermine the OPR. In the overall argument, I know the OPR has a job to do.

While I cannot speak for all of us, most of us here would have started as county councillors and city councillors. We know how important it is locally to our constituents that we are involved in this process.

The way the OPR has acted at times has been counterproductive to local democracy in action. I note all of the other county development plans that were referenced here but I can speak to Cork. Cork city development plan is still being actively scrutinised by the Minister’s Department pending those recommendations being implemented or not. I know the Minister has said he cannot speak to those, and I understand that. However, of the nine items that are listed in the city council plan, for example, at least three that I am aware of are on serviced land. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has said previously that no serviced sites should be dezoned - he said that on the record - but I can flag three separate occasions in the city plan, which has yet to be adjudicated on, where that has not happened.

As I said, I do not want to sound like a broken record but Carrigtwohill is the one that really sticks with me. I think the OPR's recommendation put the Minister in a very tough spot. The court case was quite clear and it was quite clear that the OPR was defeated, essentially, in what it was proposing yet it still went on to recommend to the Minister that it would implement its recommendation. For me, there should be massive alarm bells ringing at that. I know the Minister of State cannot comment on the live issues but I believe the future of local democracy is on the line and now is the time to question it.

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