Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House and I thank him for his overview of the position as he sees it under the national spatial strategy. It is a worthwhile strategy provided it is properly and effectively underpinned by the necessary commitment. The idea of spreading development around the country and not merely in Dublin has much to recommend it. The Minister emphasised that in many of his remarks. He is a Minister with whom I have greatly agreed on other matters, particularly with regard to his guidelines to local authorities. My only wish in that regard is that he had strengthened them by putting them in the form of a directive but he is aware of my views on that issue. Having praised the Minister in that regard, I am a little sad that I have to strongly disagree with him on other matters. If I am wrong, I have no doubt the Minister will correct me.

The national spatial strategy must not be seen as a flag of convenience to be raised on every occasion when it is politically expedient to do so. Initiatives designed to deliver on a national spatial strategy must be well thought out and have the genuine effect of assisting with the objectives set down in the strategy.

It is striking that one of the measures cited by the Minister as evidence of his commitment to the national spatial strategy is likely to have a negative impact and not benefit the achievement of balanced, sustainable and enduring development. The Minister recently introduced changes to the retail planning guidelines by lifting the cap on the size of retail warehouses in the functional areas of the four Dublin local authorities and the gateway towns identified under the national spatial strategy. The change will apply to urban renewal areas covered by an integrated area plan in each of the areas. This opens the possibility of retail megawarehouses in the gateway towns, which will have a regional impact.

Concerns have been expressed by some of the trade associations that these changes will have significant impact on the gateway and hub towns identified under the national spatial strategy. For example, an expert traffic assessment prepared by P.J. O'Connor, consulting traffic engineers, for the Irish Hardware Association, demonstrated that such large-scale developments in gateway locations would impact negatively on hub towns and the road networks surrounding gateway locations. It is hard to see how this is consistent with spatial planning.

The Minister referred to Killarney and Tralee and to the county development plan. When I go home tomorrow I will investigate what stage that plan is at. Given that they are hub towns, this is a matter of serious concern as it is for all hub towns throughout the country.

The retail planning guidelines as they relate to the durable goods and retail warehouse sectors have been working very well. Senators are aware of retail park developments in their areas or counties, all located in a proportionate manner, which give consumers choice, selection, innovation and value. Instead of one big outlet or one big retail park, in some areas of the country we have a more even spread of development at both gateway and hub locations which is consistent with the national spatial strategy.

Although I respect the Minister's rights in the following regard — presumably every Minister has such rights, within the confines of collective Cabinet responsibility — it has emerged that the changes to the retail planning guidelines introduced by the Minister were made very much on the basis of the Minister's own personal assessments of retailing needs and not necessarily based on proper planning, advice and considerations.

I was particularly taken by the Minister's reply, which I read in detail, to a question tabled by Deputy McHugh, which indicated a certain aspect to the Minister's decisions. Two internal reports prepared for the Minister on the topic recommended no change to the retail warehouse caps yet the Minister overruled them. That is his right. Although the retail planning guidelines took four years to prepare and involved four separate teams of planning expertise, the Minister made the changes without any specific independent research or studies during the review of the guidelines. He did not seek the views of the NRA on the changes, which is significant given that traffic considerations are so important.

The Minister also overruled the concerns of the Dublin Transportation Office which I understand advised against the changes and ignored the balance of the submissions received on the issue. As he outlined to the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, of which I am honoured to be a member, he received 71 submissions, 48 of which favoured the retention of the cap, 19 of which wanted the cap to be lifted and four of which had no view one way or the other. While it is obvious there were vested interests on both sides, the balance of the submissions clearly leaned in one direction.

In light of the potentially harmful impact of these changes and the nature of the decision-making procedure involved, their consequences for the national spatial strategy must be of concern. In a sense, they represent the hallmarks of an Irish solution to a Swedish problem. This matter was not properly or expertly considered. It also creates a cynical impression of the commitment, at the highest level, to the national spatial strategy and leaves many feeling uneasy about whether there is a proper and real willingness to advance sustainable spatial planning.

Members will gather from what I have said that I am unashamedly a person who favours rural and provincial towns and villages. I do not doubt the Minister's ability to deal with situations as they arise and I hope he will be able to fine-tune or refine the strategy in some necessary ways. From what he has informed me about integrated area plans, etc., it appears that the worst effects I have imagined will never come to pass.

I listened with great interest to Senator Kitt's comments about Iarnród Éireann and improved rail links. I welcome the various improvements that have been made to rail lines throughout the country. I particularly welcome those to the rail service from Kerry to Dublin. As the House is aware, people in my county have been treated like second-class citizens because they live on the periphery. I congratulate the company on the improvements put in place in terms of loop lines, etc., at various stations — particularly those at Rathmore, Millstreet and on the Killarney-Mallow section on the line between Dublin and Kerry. I am interested, however, in discovering when we will be rid of the pre-war carriages, particularly those on the service from Tralee through Killarney to Cork. When will new rolling stock be put in place? A commitment was made in respect of such rolling stock but I do not know when it will arrive.

Many more people have taken to travelling by rail than used to be the case. This is a welcome development. I recently passed through the countryside between Navan and Nobber and, in the vicinity of Wilkinstown and Castletown, I saw some disused rail tracks. I inquired about them and discovered that they connect Kingscourt to Drogheda. I am sure this line could be restored and a spur to Navan attached to it. When the Navan-Dublin line is connected, it could run further if this link was established. Dublin could, therefore, be connected to Cavan. I hope the Government's thinking is leaning in this direction because rail lines are extremely important in terms of connecting different parts of the country. I hope that we will invest increased funding and better resources in our rail system in the future.

I welcome developments to date. I congratulate Iarnród Éireann on the improvements put in place and I look forward to the company honouring its commitment to provide new carriages on all services throughout the country.