Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

I commend the Minister's guidelines on rural housing. It was an innovative move on his part and reflects the importance he attaches to rural housing and the conservation of rural communities. For the past 25 years I have grappled with this issue as a member of a local authority. I live in a town in a rural area and it has been frustrating to witness how people interpret the contribution made to county development plans by local authority members. All sides of the House will agree that every local authority member must tell local authority management and planners that they were elected to represent the ordinary Joe and Mary Citizen.

It is abhorrent that communities are dying. It is people who drive rural communities. Churches, post offices and schools are closing down in rural areas. Serious declines in populations have occurred in parts of County Westmeath, resulting in several GAA clubs having to amalgamate to put out a minor team. We can talk until the cows come home on this issue but a strong stance must be made by local authority councillors. They are the people on the frontline doing an excellent job for their people. As a former member of a local authority and a Member of the Oireachtas, I have had frustrating experiences with certain planners. At meetings, I have been so ignored as to have been made feel invisible. The Minister referred to courtesy and it is the case that many of these problems can be resolved by common sense and courtesy. Regrettably, in many cases those attributes are absent.

Another point raised ad nauseam is that one cannot build along a particular road because the surface is not good enough on a so-called bog road. The best people in this country were reared along country roads and bog roads. Not many of us came too far from the bog, given the natural features of our country. What is wrong with living in the country, or along a bog road?

Reference is regularly made to the great difficulties farmers currently encounter in getting assistance to run their farms. How can they get it? It is next to impossible even for a farmer's son or daughter to get planning permission to build on the farmer's land. Only last week I had two site visits. While the officials from Westmeath County Council were very helpful, in both cases the applications were refused even where a local need was clearly established. There is no logic to that.

The arrival of the new Minister, Deputy Roche, at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, is a breath of fresh air. He and his predecessors have said clearly that the planning permission area needs to be tackled. One can go to any part of Westmeath, Longford or any county and see the numbers of schools which have closed. There will never be rural development if there are no people, but how can there be people in an area if they cannot get planning permission to build their homes? The situation is ludicrous.

I agree with Senator Ormonde's comments on An Bord Pleanála. It is the one body in this country which completely confuses me. I do not know what it is about. A local man in my home parish, a man advanced in years, bought a tract of land and someone in County Kildare, I think, objected to the man's local authority granting him planning permission. An Bord Pleanála then overturned the permission. I do not understand that. There is no sense or logic involved.

I warmly compliment the Minister for his actions and strong words. Others have talked about the issues while the Minister has taken action.