Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Section 50 enables a water services authority to enter into an agreement with any person to provide water services, subject to planning permission requirements. Such an agreement can be reached with a view to the subsequent transfer of ownership of the infrastructure from the person in question to the water services authority. The amendment proposes to restrict the requirement to take planning permissions into account to relevant planning permissions only. It will avoid any confusion about the intention of the Bill in this respect. It is considered that the Bill's requirement to take into account planning permissions, as currently drafted, is too broad. It could lead to difficulty in the application of the provision, or to vexatious actions designed to frustrate its application.