Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

The Leader is right but I am complaining about the fact that they do not. The Leader was talking to the Minister while I was mentioning that so I will reiterate it to the Minister.

We cannot make the sweeping statement that hotels are not included because every region is different. One size will not fit all. There are many things in the north west region we would consider valuable parts of our infrastructure, which would be strategic in nature. Dublin may be overloaded in terms of hotels but our region is not. We should leave it up to the board, therefore, to say that a region is under-serviced in that regard and we must then examine it. That would make a huge contribution in terms of employment and the tourism amenity among other aspects.

The role of An Taisce, an issue close the Minister's heart before he took up his present position, must be kept under constant review. I acknowledge its great work in many areas but at times I am unsure whether it involves genuine conservation or anti-globalisation. The organisation seems a little unsure and inconsistent at times. This relates to the individual's democratic right to object, which needs to be quite specific to the area in question.

One wonders about organisations that manage to lodge an objection at the last minute of the last hour of the last applicable day. This is done more to create maximum disruption than to engage proactively in the planning process. I ask the Minster to be aware of this.

I congratulate the Minister on the Bill and it is great to see it before the House. I look forward to Committee Stage, on which further improvements can be made and further streamlining can occur. I thank the Minister for taking so much time to discuss the Bill with us in the House.