Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I join with other Senators in welcoming the Minister to the House and welcome the opportunity to make some points on the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006. I am particularly pleased to see the Bill come before the House because in July 2001, having co-written a report on the infrastructural deficiencies of the north west region, I had the privilege of presenting the report to the cross-departmental team on infrastructure. Our recommendations in the report included what we described as a higher echelon within An Bord Pleanála who would deal with critical infrastructure Bills. Having got over the embarrassment of most assistant secretaries, of whom there were approximately 25 in the room, laughing at me, we began to explain what we had in mind. In five short years I am delighted that far from laughter there is legislation before the House which proposes to do what many people envisaged. We were one of a group of chambers of commerce from the north west region, and credit is due to them for their vision at that time.

I have said here previously that when it comes to anything to do with planning, notwithstanding the fact that whoever comes up with the optimum planning system will probably win the Nobel prize for literature, peace and everything else, I believe there is a better way. I commend both the previous Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the current Minister, Deputy Roche, and the Minister of State, for their efforts in attempting to achieve that optimum system.

I apologise for not being present to hear the Minister's contribution but I had an opportunity to read most of it. I welcome the Bill. In each of our counties and communities there were infrastructural projects necessary for the wider community, not just one county, and the nation as a whole that dragged out over many years. The inner relief road in Sligo springs to mind; that took 22 years in all. I understand the funding to build it was granted by Cabinet around 1981 and it is open approximately nine months. I am not saying people were not entitled to object to that project but the streamlining of the process is what is needed to ensure that if it is inappropriate for a piece of infrastructure to be put together in such a way, it would be allowed go a different route. This Bill will achieve much of that.

There are many projects in the same position, the inner relief road is but one in terms of Sligo. The ESB pylons issue threatened to keep Donegal in the dark for a number of years. There is the 220 KV connection into Sligo, the gas scenario in terms of Mayo and many projects here in Dublin that are highly contentious also. The Bill is exceptionally welcome in that regard.

I welcome the Minister back to the House. I paid tribute to him in his absence and reiterate, although he may read it in the Official Report, that this Bill will help as we strive to have a better planning system, although the optimum one is still some distance away. It will probably take serious creativity on the part of many generations before we achieve that.

Senator Maurice Hayes alluded to the number of staff the Bill proposes, which is ten. That may be an inappropriate number. A few more might be necessary considering the level of work we will expect them to do. The projected budget is only an additional €256,000, or something to that effect. Perhaps we should make provision for additional staff and amounts of money considering what will be necessary.

The level of consultation that will take place is very welcome. The fact that elected county councillors will have a say is also welcome. I realise, however, it is a move from the executive function where only planning officials had a view. I would query the provision that the county managers should collect these views and send them to the board. Does that mean the council will vote and its collective opinion will be passed forward or will we have the individual views of, in the context of Sligo, 25 county councillors? It would be beneficial if the individual had the right to give their individual opinions rather than a county manager surmising or giving the general view, something I would not altogether support.

The right of somebody to object is not provided for in the Bill but it is something the Minister might consider because I have a major concern about it. The Minister referred to it when he said our planning system is very good at handling planning applications with a local impact in a local framework, however, I have a difficulty with the fact that somebody who has nothing to do with an area can object to a project. Local people should have an input into local issues, people in a given region should do likewise in the regions while there should be a national input at national level. I say this because not everybody or all organisations are as forward thinking and visionary as the Minister. While I would consider myself a conservationist, I recognise the need to preserve representative examples of all aspects of our heritage — cultural, architectural and others — but there is no necessity or desire to try to preserve every aspect of that heritage. It is not realistic.

In terms of the democratic right of somebody to object, which I agree with, we must come up with a way of localising that to the individual issue or infrastructure project. Overall, 18 weeks is an appropriate amount of time, with the possibility to extend. We should not go too much beyond that. Perhaps six months in total would be appropriate.

I wish to refer to the Seventh Schedule, which I have read. The various types of projects the Minister outlined are excellent and important in terms of transport, infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, rail, etc., but coming from a region like the north west, I am aware of issues such as the forest park development, which was mentioned here earlier. There was a very large hotel development in Enniscrone, in County Sligo. These are strategic infrastructural projects for our region, which is playing catch-up and does not have these type of excellent tourism facilities. They should perhaps fall within the Seventh Schedule. I do not know whether we should limit it because with the new staff and the criteria the Minister has laid out and given the impact on the region and the nation, perhaps we should leave it to An Bord Pleanála to determine the strategic importance of these developments. In terms of the west and north west region, the forest park development and the Enniscrone hotel development would have helped the area greatly. If they had been able to apply directly to An Bord Pleanála——