Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I join my colleagues in the call for an update briefing on the Convention on the Future for Europe for which I asked the Leader two weeks ago. There are still sensitive areas within the consensus of opinion on areas such as the future of the Union's institutions and taxation policies. There was an interesting meeting yesterday with the French foreign affairs delegation when many of these points were raised. It is important that we have a debate before the final verdict of the convention is made known.

I support Senator Bannon's call for a debate on planning regulations, for which I have looked before as there are many anomalies in planning legislation. A debate would serve to highlight them and can see how we could rectify them.