Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

Now that the abolition of the dual mandate is done and dusted, it is incumbent on Senators to work ever more closely with local authority representatives. We have young, and not so young, vibrant, energetic councillors around the country, including Roscommon. For two years we debated the planning process which will not change. Local authority representatives, including county councillors, are faced with increasingly challenging situations in the planning process. We must start in this House by dismantling An Bord Pleanála because it is an unaccountable, opaque structure. People sitting on the board of An Bord Pleanála are out of touch with rural areas, including the west. They are not in tune with small-scale commercial planning or one-off housing. We should dismantle the board and start again rather than carrying out reviews or debating the issue. It will be our biggest challenge. It is incumbent on the House to address this issue because county councillors are Senators' electorate and it is our responsibility to stand by them and speak on their behalf.