Seanad debates
Thursday, 19 June 2003
Order of Business.
There are certain things we need to do and this is what I want to propose, because I believe it is extremely important. Professor Melis said they cleared the way and they could not have done it without the co-operation of their parliamentary colleagues, the legislators, because they had to make certain provisions in Madrid with regard, for example, to the ownership of the ground. Here, as in Paris, the ownership goes right down to the centre of the earth. It is one of these legal fictions. We need to amend that so that everything below 25 metres, for the purpose of public infrastructure, belongs to the State. They were able to do that in Madrid. I suggested to the joint committee that we should establish a group to look at all the legislative proposals that need to be put together for them to clear the decks completely in a compendium-type Bill. I suggest that with the expertise of the Leader, a former distinguished Minister for Transport, the Seanad could be the House to introduce the legislation to clear the way. It needs to be done immediately, if we are going to start in spring, as Professor Melis suggested.
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