Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Smith, and take this opportunity to congratulate him on his appointment. I also congratulate the new Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, who spoke well on this subject on the previous occasion he was in the House, for which, unfortunately, I was not present. I do not know if it is the case that he is a breath of fresh air or that he is such a good communicator and has received good publicity for his views but, in common with many people, including Senator McCarthy, I find myself very largely in agreement with the new Minister's views on planning. I welcome what he is doing in removing the unnecessary bureaucratic and administrative obstacles to a more uniform planning application procedure. I especially welcome the new standardised application form.

The Minister stated he wants an efficient service and for planning authorities to provide good customer service. That is very important and, sadly, in the past has sometimes been lacking. I very much look forward to the new measures that will be introduced and the ongoing review by the worthwhile people who back up the Minister in the Department. They mean well and are doing valuable work. I look forward to seeing the fruits of their work, which I have no doubt will be brought forward by the Minister.

Pre-planning consultation is an important part of the planning process. This is a view with which public representatives agree. As the Minister and other speakers stated, the entire administrative system is supposed to be open and democratic but, sadly, that has not always been the case. Pre-planning consultation is vital. Very often nobody is available in Kerry County Council for pre-planning consultations, and I am sure this also happens in other parts of the country. I accept that local authorities are swamped with applications and that many of them have had enormous numbers of section 140s, all of which require detailed reports. We can imagine the amount of staff time required to do that work. I accept there is a difficulty with staffing levels. I do not know how the Department will address this matter. I very much welcome the measures being taken in regard to uniformity. However, more consultation is required between the Department and planners to ensure uniformity and speed up the process which we all want.

I assure Senator Brady that it is not only in the city that planning objections arise, we also have difficulties down the country. I do not have any time for the spurious invalidation of applications by local authorities on technical grounds. They are raising matters such as site notices not being fully in compliance with council requirements and they also request further information at the last minute. That is going on all over the place and it must be brought to a halt. The RIAI has stressed both of those points so I will not labour them. We must ensure, as the Minister and everybody else wants, that courtesy and consideration of applicants will be more apparent in the system. I accept the volume of applications is currently high which puts pressure on the system but, as he stated, the process should be open and democratic; it must be customer oriented and deliver for people. I agree with the Minister's remarks in that respect.

The guidelines are good, but the process followed in County Cork and perhaps other places is as advanced, if not better, than the guidelines. Unfortunately, as we all know, guidelines are only guidelines. I urge the Minister to put the current draft guidelines regarding one-off housing in directive form. I accept he will exhort and encourage everybody to take them on board but they can be ignored. Reasonable proposals must be accommodated because the authorities will always find a way to reject applications if only guidelines are in place. The Minister's heart is very much in the right place but that aspect of planning needs to be strengthened.

We have heard it said too often that the planning system is a bottleneck. I am not lobbying for anybody but there is a presumption that if one is within the zoning one will get planning permission and not have all these roadblocks erected. We all know the damage this is doing to local economies.

Regarding local authority housing requirements, the Minister should ask local authorities to carry out an inventory of their assets as a matter of urgency, as the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, has done in regard to State assets. I do not have specific evidence but sometimes there is a suggestion that something is held up or that it is not being given attention for whatever reason.

Reference has been made to An Taisce and I am aware the Minister has strong views on that body. I do not have anything specific against it but question if such a prescribed body is the right way to go in a democracy. The system is open and anyone can have a say on any matter. I do not know the answer and the Minister has his own views. In some areas, particularly in areas of outstanding natural beauty, An Taisce has made some relevant points but very often there are too many objections in regard to one-off housing. An Taisce's objections are not without foundation or substance but listening to Senator Brady, we are all aware of too many spurious objections arising from bad neighbourliness or whatever. We would all welcome any way of short-circuiting those objections.

I would like to hear the Minister of State's views on the strategic national infrastructure Bill which is promised to fast-track major infrastructural projects and remove the approval roles of local authorities and An Bord Pleanála. It is not that we do not welcome it but we want to know what safeguards are in place and who will decide what meets the criteria, which we also need to see. That is an important issue for us.

I would also like to hear his comments on the Law Reform Commission report which is to be published today or tomorrow. The commission proposes a planning amnesty for all unauthorised development aged ten years or more to modernise conveyancing law. It states that the case is compelling because there are increasing difficulties in non-conforming developments and local authorities cannot enforce proceedings after seven years. These matters need to be tidied up and improved.

We are all irritated by the number of estate agents who, on receiving an application which may have been rushed, refer the client to the local politician. We are brought into the process needlessly and do not want to be involved. The Minister of State might bear that point in mind when talking to local authorities, managers and planners.