John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I do not often agree with Senator Ryan but I support his call for a debate on the building industry. The Leader should also ask the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to attend the House to debate the issue of planning, including the strategy adopted by local authorities in granting planning permission, the seeming breakdown in the production of inspectors' reports at An Bord Pleanála and the final decisions made by the board. I have written to the chairman of the board seeking information on this aspect. In many cases decisions by local authorities on granting or refusing planning applications and which are upheld by inspectors are overturned by the board. If there is to be a proper planning strategy in the country we need to know the criteria used by the agencies involved because at present they appear to be working in three different directions. There is also a need to debate the abuse of the use of retention orders by developers in an attempt to secure a second hand planning application they know they will not get in the first instance.