Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I join others in welcoming the Minister, Deputy Roche, to the Seanad and thank him for addressing us on this important debate which I am glad is taking place today. I was particularly interested in what he said about emigrants. Coming from County Galway I have a great interest in this issue, as have people from the west in general. The Minister's comments are evidence of the Government's policy on this issue and its intention to help people who wish to return to their home county. I fully support what he said.

I was a member of Galway County Council in the 1970s, as was the Acting Chairman. Serious issues arose at that time regarding planning in rural areas, particularly in Connemara, and section 4 motions were moved on occasions which the media criticised. We had to do that, however, because of the serious issues facing us. I recall one particular case where councillors from Connemara wanted to help a person to build a house. The applicant was a garda and a footballer and we were told not to mention either fact because it was all about proper planning and development. At least now the words "sustainable planning and development" are included, which is important. The position with regard to planning in the county has been helped by the 2000 Act.

The Minister made a key point on pre-planning. The consultation, which is not always available but should be engaged in, is important. People tell me there are a great number of planning applications in Galway, the second largest county in the country, but we have to sort out this question. Whether what is required is the provision of extra staff or having various offices located throughout the county and not only in the city, there should be more pre-planning and consultation. People often ask me and other public representatives why they cannot have a particular colour brick or a bay window on the house, the reason they have to change a particular window or why they cannot have a two storey house. These questions sometimes arise too late when the planning permission is close to being granted. That aspect is vitally important.

The Minister did not refer to An Taisce but Senator Bannon did. The Minister spoke recently about An Taisce's obsession with one-off housing and I hope it will back off on that issue because one-off housing is important in rural areas. An Taisce does good work, however, as I have often said in this House, particularly in respect of awarding green flag status. Some 40 schools in County Galway have that status and other good work has been done regarding the blue flag status. That is very important.

The Acting Chairman will be aware that in Ballinasloe recently there were objections on environmental grounds to a hotel project. I hope that type of issue could be dealt with more quickly and that the next application submitted for planning permission by that hotel will be granted because it is an important development for the town and we should encourage that sort of development.

The former Minister, Deputy Cullen, brought Dúchas under the auspices of the Department and I pay tribute to him for his work in that regard. That appeared to be a welcome development but again certain issues arise regarding SACs and certain flora and fauna which have caused problems. I hope to raise on the Adjournment tomorrow evening the question of people who found that their land was designated as far back as 1998 or 1999. They would have received very little money for that designation, yet it has adversely affected them, particularly in respect of planning.

The Minister is correct in what he said about the huge increase in housing, planning applications and the number of permissions that were granted. We should bear in mind, however, that in many circumstances applications are withdrawn because the applicants know they will be refused. That figure may not be taken into consideration when we are talking about the activity in question. Obviously, the withdrawal of applications happens because there is some confrontation; we should examine some of the reasons those applications are withdrawn. One reason is that some local authorities refuse to allow backland development. Such development can be very good in a town and I have seen some very good examples throughout the country. Some county councils have no time for it whatsoever.

Another reason applications are withdrawn concerns the ban on building within a radius of 1.5 miles of a town or village. This has caused problems. The question of site distance has always been with us. If county councillors suggest that we build houses in the towns and villages, they should bear in mind that we do not have water and sewerage schemes, particularly the latter, in all our towns and villages. The proposed clusters of houses, which I believe are a good idea, cannot be developed without the availability of water and sewerage facilities. It is important that we invest in such schemes, some of which could cost between €1.5 million to €2 million. If we cannot build on the primary and secondary routes and are forced to build elsewhere, we should do so in a tasteful way, as the Minister stated. I agree fully with what he said about development in the countryside.

The Minister mentioned wind farms. Just 12 months ago there was a landslide in Derrybrien in south Galway. Fish were killed, there was much environmental damage and there could have been a major effect on the water supply for Gort. This highlights that people have both good and bad experiences with wind farms. The issue is still in the news this week, which suggests that there is a very strong case for consultation on the development of wind farms. We do not yet really know the reasons behind the landslide in Derrybrien. A similar landslide occurred in Pollatomish near Belmullet in Mayo. It is important that we investigate further the causes of landslides. The question of offshore wind farms also arises because they may represent a more popular option.

One point in particular that I noted in the Minister's speech concerned spatial planning. I am glad we have a spatial plan whereby towns have been designated as hub towns or gateways. This has been talked about since the 1950s and 1960s. Towns obviously want industry, transport and health services and therefore it is important that we work on this given that we now have a spatial strategy.

It is significant that most local authorities have extra staff working on the very important issue of planning enforcement. There has been an increase in the number of convictions of people who are breaking the law in this area. The Minister will be familiar with the issue of quarries in his own county and the west. Better regulations should apply to the operation of quarries. I know all quarries now have to register with local authorities, which is very important, but the number of complaints I receive about large trucks and quarry activities is increasing. I hope the Minister will consider the control of quarries. In response to this debate, he or the Minister of State might outline whether more investigation can be carried out into the means of dealing with those who are operating illegally.