Kieran Phelan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. His Department deserves a great deal of credit for introducing the guidelines. The public has reacted positively to the measures which have been announced. Despite the negative criticism of the scheme from some quarters, the vast majority of people can see the value of the guidelines. My colleagues and I have been working to resolve this issue for some time due to the circumstances we have faced on the ground and the dissatisfaction the public has voiced.

Ireland has a strong tradition of rural dwelling. About one third of the population lives in what can be described as the "countryside". As planning policy stood, family members were being forced to move away from their homes and the areas in which they had grown up. It was contributing heavily to the decline in rural populations as people were forced to move to more urban areas. How could rural areas be expected to thrive and grow under such arrangements? It was clear that steps needed to be taken to support the development of rural communities.

The majority of rural dwellers are not farmers nor are they directly dependent on farming. Less than 8% of the population is engaged in this activity. Despite this fact, planning permission for one-off housing was being restricted to farmers although people in this sector were affected also. I know a number of farmers in Laois who were unable to build homes for their children on their own land. This is incredible. I doubt too many other countries would have allowed such a state of affairs to develop. Thankfully, we have addressed the issue and can look forward to people returning to rural areas. We can expect people who wish to be part of rural communities to be able to live among them. Teachers and those involved in forestry, the marine and other rurally-based occupations are the kinds of people who must be allowed to live in rural areas if such areas are to survive. Whereas we should be encouraging them, until the new guidelines were introduced they stood little chance of being able to build homes in rural areas.

I note with approval the measures contained in the guidelines to help areas suffering from population decline. Planning authorities are required under the new guidelines to ensure that any demand for housing in rural areas suffering from population decline is accommodated subject to standard planning practices. This will stem the flow of people out of areas and encourage development. People will know they can build and raise families in these areas. It is welcome that people will no longer be required to have roots in a local area to receive permission to build. Declining rural communities will no longer have a severely limited pool from which to grow. People from all over the country and beyond will be able to build homes and breathe life into declining communities. In stronger rural areas, development will strike a balance between providing for local people and encouraging the development of smaller towns and villages. I agree with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, who said that such a step is necessary to ensure the provision of a balanced range of choices in new housing development.

I noted with interest certain criticisms of the proposals when they were first announced. I was particularly bemused by the criticism that the Government intended to cover the countryside in concrete. This was never the case. The Minister's measures will permit the countryside to develop. The guidelines were introduced because of the Government's respect for rural life. We wish to stop the decline of rural communities and to enable people to live in and develop rural areas. No one wishes to see large scale development blighting the countryside which is why the guidelines simply allow people with links to local communities to build in rural areas which already have a healthy level of development. In areas of decline, there are opportunities for those without links to the community to establish homes. Neither measure will result in over development.

The Government realises that natural beauty is essential to the country. It is one of our greatest resources. However, there must be a balanced approach. Under the previous policies, we would have been as well off putting areas aside and preventing people from visiting them and disturbing the scenic beauty. That is how ludicrous circumstances were becoming. The primary purpose of the areas in question is to have people living in them rather than admiring them. The guidelines protect people's right to live in rural areas while ensuring the correct balance is struck to permit the countryside to thrive for many years to come. Senator Ó Murchú, who is a nice man, said An Taisce should be de-listed. From the dealings I have with it over the years, it should be abolished because it has no idea what is happening on the ground.