Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the same issue, this Bill is 700 pages long. The number of amendments is enormous and we are to push it through with so little time. It affects every man, woman and child, urban and rural, in the country. People are taobh amuigh and talking inniu from the Gaeltacht area protesting at the way they are being mistreated by the planning regulations. A lot of people had hope for this new legislation but it is so enormous and there is so little time to tease it out that it will be fraught with problems. It will only make money for one lot of people, namely, the lawyers across the river in the courts. It is rushed and it will not be properly debated or discussed here. This is bad for democracy any day of the week. We had all hoped the legislation would change some of the guidelines and give greater clarity but that is not the case. It is confused legislation. We need a debate on it.

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