Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

We need to understand the principle that underpins Private Bills. The Standing Orders which relate to Private Bills, rather than to the public business of this House, could well be the foundation of the acceptance of the proposal that has been made by Senator Tuffy. If an Oireachtas committee establishes that an individual or an institution has a locus standi, it is within the rights of this House to allow a Bill to be promoted by that individual or institution. We need to recognise that and see whether we can build on it.

May I give an example of a matter that could be covered under the suggestion that has been made by Senator Tuffy? I recently saw a terrific programme on Channel 4, in which the public was asked to nominate the 20 ugliest buildings in Britain. The request for the public to get involved in architecture received an astonishing response from people in Scotland, England and Wales. People from all parts of the United Kingdom submitted the names of the ugliest buildings in their communities. Most of these wrecks of buildings were constructed in the post-modernist era of the 1960s. The outcome of the vote was that the public believed it should have the power to delist buildings which are a blight on the architecture of their local communities. Such buildings include ugly car parks, shopping centres and commercial facilities which are run down because their owners have moved off and local authorities are unable to take action.

As a result of that programme, a new provision might be included in the United Kingdom's planning legislation to give the power to a community to initiate a process of delisting. Senators will be aware that the people already have the power to list buildings, but there is no such power to delist buildings. That core idea came from the public — nobody in a position of power had thought of it.