Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

In speaking to this group of amendments, I have concerns, in general, that the Bill will be enacted with major errors and that will have an impact on people who need to be able to access housing that is affordable, on communities that are being developed without the facilities and the amenities they need, and on general well-being.

I have raised repeatedly on Committee Stage and on Report Stage the issue of Aarhus compliance, and every time I have raised it, the response has been a general one that we have checked and we have been told it is Aarhus compliant. I keep on raising specific instances and specific details and I do not get replies on the specific details I have raised. We have a report this week published by the Aarhus compliance committee on compliance by Ireland with its obligations under the convention. I certainly would not have the time to read significant sections of the report into the record here or anything like that. However, there are 105 conclusions and recommendations in the report and one after another highlights serious concerns with regard to this Bill, how it is and its failure to meet compliance. It particularly references Chapter 5 in Part 4 of the Bill as not being Aarhus compliant.

Every time I raise that as an issue, I get a general response but I do not get a detailed response or defence. Maybe the Minister of State will do that. Maybe he will explain why, in the context of the different concerns I raised regarding the Bill and Aarhus compliance, we had a report this week from the Aarhus compliance committee stating that sections of the Bill are not Aarhus compliant. I ask the Minister of State to please not brush that off again with, "We have checked. It is all Aarhus compliant." The Aarhus compliance committee is clearly saying it is not. I ask him to please address that.

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