Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Bannon for tabling these amendments. I will not accept amendments for the reason to which I referred, although the Senator's point about the submission of haphazard applications was well made. However, this is not the appropriate Bill in which to express that point because one anticipates that anything that comes under this Bill of that magnitude would not involve "back of the envelope" calculations. However, the Senator's general point about the haphazard presentation of applications is a good one and one that perhaps should be expressed elsewhere.

I accept the Senator is making a general point to improve planning in the widest sense. My advice from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is that the wording of the section is a more watertight way of dealing with this matter. The language used by the draftsman in this paragraph in terms of enactment is the normal phrase used. Given the nature of this Bill and its significance, it is prudent for me to follow the Parliamentary Counsel's advice, notwithstanding that I intuitively agree with the Senator's point about the haphazard or careless presentation of planning applications on occasions. I do not believe that issue will arise in this case and I hope it will not because it would be a costly exercise for those involved. The advice from the Parliamentary Counsel is clear and I intend to stick with it.