James Bannon (Fine Gael)

The Department is to organise a series of seminars which must be thorough and all encompassing on the new guidelines. Planners must be fully au fait with all aspects of the guidelines they will implement. A new section has been added since the publication of the draft guidelines, which were not very different from those we are discussing today. The section emphasises the need for an improved, more courteous service from planning authorities and improved co-operation between authorities and applicants, especially at the pre-planning stage. While local authorities have the power to facilitate pre-planning meetings, they lack the staff to do so promptly. In some local authority areas, a person who applies for a pre-planning meeting must wait up to five months for an appointment. There is a feeling among ordinary individuals who wish to build homes of their own that developers are prioritised when they apply for pre-planning meetings. It is an issue which must be addressed and it is in the Minister's power to do it.

On the basis of the principle that if something is not broken, one should not fix it, I must assume the Department is of the opinion that the system is broken and should be fixed. I play devil's advocate and ask the Minister to explain and categorise the need for remedial measures. In doing so, I voice my support for the hard working members of local authorities who, by and large, treat the public in a courteous manner. Despite the volume of applications and the often unrealistic demands on their time, local authorities provide applicants with a good quality service. As hard cases make poor law, the addendum of the new section may be unnecessary.