Kieran Phelan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, to the House to deal with this important legislation, in support of which my colleagues and I are pleased to speak. The purposed of the Bill is to amend the Planning and Development Act 2000 and it will provide for the introduction of a streamlined planning consent procedure for the development of strategic infrastructure. When the Minister first published it a few weeks ago, I saw the usual suspects knocking each other over trying to get in front of TV cameras or onto radio shows to condemn it. I am fairly sure that the same crowd of permanent whingers had not had the time to read through the measures contained in the Bill before coming out against it. However, I doubt that the Minister had expected much support from them anyway.

I was happy to read that the new strategic infrastructure division to be established in An Bord Pleanála will determine strategic infrastructure projects. That is important, and I hope it is given the necessary resources to do its job. While a member of Laois County Council from 1991 until stepping down, I always found myself frustrated by the lack of speed regarding important infrastructure projects in my area.

I will address some points to critics of this important legislation. This country needs new and improved infrastructure. We cannot have infrastructure built for the 20th century serving a national economy of the 21st century. Our quality of life is not raised by delays in construction or court injunctions against motorways, for example. I am unhappy to see that such delays are adding to the costs of the various infrastructure projects. That wasted money might have been better spent elsewhere on other projects. There are people who think that those of us outside Dublin should be satisfied with second-rate infrastructure. They are wrong, and I know that the Minister thinks that too. All Members should welcome the fact that this legislation will help to tackle bottlenecks throughout the country.

Last November, I spoke in this House with regard to the issue of housing and specifically with regard to local government. The former Ministers for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputies Noel Dempsey and Cullen, as well as the current Minister, Deputy Roche, deserve great credit for their success in securing record funding for local authorities since 1997. They fought hard at national level to provide funding to councils and the country is better off because of this investment. However, many other critical projects have been delayed or often stopped in their tracks by a legal system which facilitates protesters who are hell-bent on causing maximum disruption.

A number of weeks ago in the Seanad, a Progressive Democrats motion referred to the water services investment programme. Members heard how the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, has greatly reduced the level of red tape involved in getting water and sewerage schemes through their design and construction stages. This is crucial for local communities and for rural communities in particular, and the proposed legislation is a similar step in the right direction.

I was happy to learn that this legislation proposes to establish protections so that everyone has the right to participate in the planning process. As I do not want elected county and city councillors to be ignored in this process, I am satisfied there will be a strategic consent process, whereby An Bord Pleanála will be required to consult with the relevant local authorities and to have due regard for their comments, as well as the views of the elected members of the councils.

I make this point for a simple reason, namely, that public representatives, and specifically members of local authorities, must be accountable to their electorate. Public representatives cannot hide from their responsibilities to the people in their localities. Hence, democratically-elected local representatives must take part in this process. Unaccountable and unelected people can often make decisions without a care in the world. Members' colleagues on city and county councils bear the blame for decisions made by unknown and faceless officials. I urge the Minister to ensure that measures are included in this necessary legislation to prevent the further erosion of local democracy.

I again thank the Minister for introducing this legislation and I appreciate that it took much effort to bring it this far. I look forward to supporting this Bill and hope it will pass through the Dáil as soon as possible, because the country is being strangled by objectors and cranks with nothing better to do than waste taxpayers' money.

I am proud of the record and achievements of Laois County Council in respect of major projects. However, in many cases, had this legislation been in place, much time and money could have been saved and many projects could have been expedited. Nevertheless, I am glad the legislation is before the House and I thank the Minister once again for pressing ahead with it, despite cries from the usual suspects.