Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I refer to the need for additional staff in An Bord Pleanála and in the planning departments of local authorities. Senator Burke made sense when he commented on the need for forward planning. If we plan adequately and properly ahead, many of the problems that arise currently could be eliminated. For example, Ballon, County Carlow, is crying out for a bypass to the east of the town. I was trying to impress on the council officials in Carlow recently the need to earmark land for a bypass but they would not do so. Unfortunately, this land will be built on and the bypass will proceed in ten or 20 years, at which point the local residents will go bananas because they will not want the road. However, if the locals knew now that the road would be built and land was set aside for that purpose, it would eliminate numerous problems.

I concur with Senator Burke's comments on rezoning. Not enough rezoning was undertaken in Dublin in the past. "Rezoning" has become a bad word lately but it should not be regarded as such. If I am asked by a new councillor what is his or her main job, I tell him or her it is to make sure adequate rezoning is undertaken. Last Monday, I walked around Carlow town with a constituent. She is a mother who is keen to have a new park built in a different part of the town. We examined potential sites and, hopefully, I will meet the director of planning for the area and engage in the planning process. The park might not be built for five or ten years but, at least, we are planning ahead. A park was built on an estate in the town recently but there was uproar because the residents did not want it. However, if the park had been earmarked from day one, there would have been no difficulty.

Local authority planning departments and An Bord Pleanála need more staff. The condition of a number of planning departments is shocking. For example, the reception area of the planning department in Carlow must be the worst in the State. It is a big block of wood and one must ring a bell to contact a planner. I appreciate the pressure they are under and the difficulties they have but the departments should be more user friendly. I have no problem with the planning staff but they should be more hospitable and amenable to the public. Some people find these departments intimidating, as do public representatives, because of the decor. Perhaps local authority staff should undertake feng shui courses.

I dealt with the planning staff of Kerry County council recently and I could not get over how professional they were. They might have a bad name because of section 4 referrals and so on but I was impressed by the access I had to maps. I was able to click on a screen and find out whether planning permission had been granted or refused in an area. This electronic system has not been standardised throughout the State. Resources for planning departments should be beefed up and they should become more user friendly for the public and the staff.

Many councillors have done significant work on planning and rezoning land over the years, which resulted in individual becoming very wealthy, yet they did not even receive as much as a telephone call afterwards thanking them for doing so. There has been much publicity recently about councillors taking money for rezoning but many of them got nothing, yet their work benefitted the local area significantly and provided people with housing and so on. Not every councillor receives a brown envelope while rezoning land and I will stand over that comment.

I recently attended a meeting with planners in Tullow, County Carlow, which is near the Minister's constituency. Planning permission has been granted for a new estate comprising 140 houses near the town on a bad stretch of road. I pointed out to the planners that I am always bemused driving past new industrial estates. When such estates are constructed, roads are built first, followed by footpaths, lighting and so on with the industrial units built during the final phase. It is a pity the same model is not followed for housing estates, where the reverse occurs. The houses are built first and the rest of the infrastructure is provided subsequently or, in some cases, not at all. There is an onus on local authorities to be specific when granting planning permission by sequencing the order in which estates and so on should be constructed. People often apply for planning permission and, when it is granted, sell it to another developer. Everyone then is at the mercy of the developer regarding whether he or she complies with the planning permission.

A member of staff of every local authority should travel around monitoring planning permissions while buildings are under construction, not afterwards. Every Member has spoken to a planning enforcement officer after the event. It is next to impossible to get a conviction or to have a problem rectified. However, if somebody in the council could monitor and supervise building projects to ensure planning permission is observed, there would be less difficulty down the line.

I am one of the few members of my party in favour of incineration. It is time we got real on this matter. I am delighted Ringsend is to get an incinerator as it is about time Dublin took responsibility for its own waste. Counties outside of Dublin should not have to handle its waste. Some people think that Carlow, Kildare and Meath are ideal dumping grounds. There is an onus on all of us to manage our waste. Putting an incinerator in Ringsend may bring home to the people of Dublin the reality that the waste they produce must be dealt with.

Some people think that recycling costs nothing and have no idea of the very significant costs involved. It is not free and there is little market for it. There may be local issues, such as the inadequacy of the roads, etc., to deal with in the case of Ringsend. However, it is time to get real and become mature on the issue as we are over 80 years old as a State. We should look at alternatives to landfills which are not good. I have yet to meet anybody in favour of extending or putting in a new landfill. I see incinerators as a last resort. I agree we must reduce, reuse and recycle, but we will still have waste to get rid of and should consider the incinerator approach. If we explain the issue properly to people, they will appreciate it better.

Perhaps this Bill will address the concerns. Many infrastructural projects have been held up for ridiculous reasons by certain factions. The hold-up in the Glen of the Downs was a classic case which got much media exposure. When the road was completed, nobody could understand what the original problem was, but at the time when people turned on their televisions for the evening news, they would have thought very tree in the country was to be chopped down. I admit that my cousin is an eco-warrior and may have been up one of those trees. We all have family members with whose views we do not necessarily agree. I am sure she would not agree with mine.

I welcome the Bill and hope it goes well. I was in Spain recently with members of the Joint Committee on Transport and was amazed by its system whereby the State owns all land more than 10 ft underground, which enables it to complete projects quicker than we do. The public and taxpayers here are sick and tired of seeing projects fall behind schedule and going way over costs. While there must be a balance with respect to the rights of individuals, we cannot afford to continue for years with High Court and Supreme Court actions that ultimately benefit only the lawyers, while the public must continue to put up with substandard transport facilities. I welcome the Bill. Hopefully, it will help to improve infrastructure in the country.