Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is the Minister saying that just because I criticised him for being part of Rambo's team out in Dublin North? Is that just to get back at Mattie, is it? The stench of the planning corruption that went on is still coming from Dublin North, and the carry-on that went on with money. I met every one of them when they came to Clonmel, supposedly canvassing, with their pinstripe suits and big Mercedes. They would blow you away. Thank God they are nearly all blown away.

Ordinary people want to get houses. There were plans for a very valuable plant, on which the whole south east and part of the midlands depended. It was a Glanbia and Royal A-ware project. An Taisce brought the company to court three times at different levels and exhausted the process, even though it had no fundamental issue with the planning process, the use of fertilisers and everything else. Are these geniuses in the NGOs and An Taisce going to be named as well? They have to be named. We could not get their names. They are faceless, but they are causing havoc in rural Ireland for people who are trying to build houses.

As Deputy O'Donoghue said a minute ago, there is a hotel in Clonmel, the Clonmel Arms Hotel. I danced, courted and did everything there. The building is derelict now and it is a shame to see it. A gentleman objected to plans in the name of somebody else who was from Limerick, miles away from the hotel, and now the site is derelict. It was with NAMA. I remember former Deputies Mick Wallace and Clare Daly talking about Project Eagle. I called it project jackdaw because it stank. The owner has the hotel back again. Now there are slates falling from the roof and threatening people. There are people there on the site abusing drugs and all kinds of issues. What once was the hub of the town is now a disgusting site. That has not been rectified in this Bill, when it should have been. Out of greed, that man objected just to stop someone else developing the site when there was money in the good times, but now níl aon phingin ag aon duine for that hotel to be done up.

There are a lot of things that need to be rectified here. There is a lot of playing games, to ensure we keep paying homage to developers and increasing the money for them all the time. Let the ordinary people who can build houses build them. There are many in my county who have the sites, own them, can get a mortgage - or could anyway - and cannot get planning permission because An Taisce and others are breathing down their necks with frivolous objections. They build fine big houses on the lake in north Tipperary and in Ballina and other places, but they will not let anybody else build. It is like when the crows come into the field. They take over and keep out the rest of the crows for an auld snail.

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