Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 5, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “(5) Each amendment to the Act of 2000 effected by this Act shall continue in operation for 18 months from the coming into operation of the amendment concerned, and shall thereupon stand repealed.”.

It will be useful to read the amendment again to the House. It states, "Each amendment to the Act of 2000 effected by this Act shall continue in operation for 18 months from the coming into operation of the amendment concerned, and shall thereupon stand repealed.”. Essentially, this amendment seeks to introduce a sunset clause into the provisions proposed by the Minister in the Bill. The amendment concerns the rushed nature of the legislation. It is very clear the Minister will introduce his consolidated planning Bill next year. The Minister said that many of the measures here are, if not temporary, of an emergency basis to deal with the backlog in An Bord Pleanála and the necessary reforms that ought to be introduced at An Bord Pleanála. We are asking the Minister to put his money where his mouth is, and if it is indeed temporary and if these are emergency measures, then he should have no difficulty in repealing these measures within 18 months of the enactment of the Bill. Given the context of the new consolidated Bill to be introduced next year, this is a reasonable amendment. I ask the Minister to consider it. A sunset clause on the provisions of the Bill, on the basis of what the Minister proposes, may very well be overtaken in any case by measures in the consolidated Bill. This evening, the Minister is asking us to consider emergency measures on the basis that the board needs to function. We understand that. We might not agree with all of the emergency measures in the way the Minister is dealing with this, but introducing a sunset clause here is good public policy.

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