Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I take pleasure in seconding the motion and in welcoming the Minister to the House. This is my first opportunity to do so. It is great to see Deputy Gormley in the position of Minister and I have no doubt he has great ideas, enthusiasm and determination to bring to the Office. I look forward, over the next number of years, to seeing a variety of measures brought before us.

As the motion states, I welcome the planning guidelines on sustainable residential development in urban areas and the accompanying best practice urban design manual. Approximately six years ago, the local authorities in Sligo adopted a package of measures which dealt with taking in charge housing estates. In their preparations, officials in the Department would have reviewed the processes used and incorporated a large volume of the material now followed as procedure into the new guidelines. That is to be welcomed.

It is appropriate that this House, whether in Private Members' time or in time set aside for other motions of this description, has the opportunity to speak about planning. The process is continuously evolving and remains one of the biggest challenges all over Ireland. I have used the same quote many times but it is still true. The person who comes up with the optimum planning system for Ireland will probably win the Nobel prize for literature and peace, and there is a better way. By debating issues like this and brainstorming effectively, we have improved the issue in recent years and we continue to do so. Let none of us feel the challenges do not remain because they loom as high as ever.

I wanted to use this opportunity to deal with a couple of issues not directly related to the motion but certainly related to the Minister's brief and the planning area. The first relates to Part V and the issue of social and affordable housing. I ask the Minister to consider reviewing Part V at this time as although it is an admirable and honourable policy, and we would all seek to achieve the goals it sets out, it has failed in certain areas while possibly succeeding in other aspects.

Mr. John Fitzgerald produced a report some time ago concerning the social mix throughout Ireland and Limerick was shown to be among the places with the highest mix, at 41% or 42%. Cork was next at about 34% or 35%. The figure for Sligo, where I live, stood at 33%. The next highest figure was 16%. The three areas to which I refer have very high social mixes and Part V, although honourably drafted, is more geared towards the blank canvas approach.

We need to be somewhat more strategic in the context of the approach we take and I am not sure that one size fits all. Sligo is no different from other counties in that there is a need for more social and affordable housing. However, we may need to review the Part V provisions and take a more strategic approach in the context of how we deal with this matter. We all want the same things to be achieved. I refer, for example, to better integration. The segregationist policies of the past led to the creation of high social mixes and the development of anti-social behaviour in certain areas. Evidence of the latter can be seen, week in and week out, with the release of crime statistics, etc. In my view there would be all-party support for reviewing Part V to discover how it can be improved and to identify the ways in which we can best achieve the optimum results envisaged when its provisions were originally set down.

If a developer fails to make provision for 20% of a development to be social and affordable housing, the option exists for him or her to provide a site or a financial amount in lieu. Certain politicians have stated that they are not enamoured with this option and that they want to move away from it. However, it should not be abandoned. In an area in which there is a high social mix, it might be better if a sum of money were provided in order that more social and affordable housing can be built where it is needed. This would help get the mix right retrospectively.

The other issue to which I wish to refer is people's right to object. Again, there is probably all-party support for people's right in this regard. It is not acceptable that a citizen of the United States who is based in California and who owns a holiday home in the west of Ireland can lodge an objection to a development that might be critical to the area in which it is proceeding. A person should have local competence or be a contributor to an area before he or she should be able to try to block either someone's application to set up home in that area or an application relating to the development of a critical item of infrastructure which would contribute to the said area's commercial or socio-economic fabric. An important and recent improvement in the area of legislation was the implementation of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill, under which An Bord Pleanála may be approached directly in respect of decisions or judgments on major infrastructural improvements. This is a good development and it represents progress. However, it would be greatly appreciated if the Minister would seek to review the position as regards people's right to object.

For some time I have been requesting that the House engage in a debate on the national spatial strategy and the progress, or lack thereof in certain areas, in respect of it. I bought into the national spatial strategy and I am aware that engaging in a review of it would fall under the Minister's remit. I hope he will arrange for such a review to take place. As the eastern conurbation develops, the pressure on Dublin and other areas will increase. It is important that we should have a successful capital city and that it should have the appropriate infrastructure. However, the west also requires such infrastructure. If we are to be true to previous Government policies, such as creating capacity before demand and following through on the national spatial strategy, we must begin to invest disproportionately in the gateway centres. Doing so will allow us to create the capacity to which I refer and develop an infrastructure that will play a part in taking the burden of growth off the eastern conurbation. We must seek to do this in a joined-up way.

We find ourselves in leaner economic times and people may state that it is not possible to justify additional expenditure in the area to which I refer because the largest proportion of the population resides in the east. However, we must begin to dream bigger dreams and to push the boat out some more. I live in the gateway centre of Sligo but we must do what I suggest in respect of all the gateways. I recognise the existence of the gateway innovation fund but additional moneys should be provided to finance critical infrastructure projects in these areas in order that they can assist the capital city and other locations to thrive and play their part in shouldering the burden of growth.

I would not be true to myself if I did not again seize the opportunity to state that winding down cancer care services in a gateway centre such as Sligo does not represent the kind of joined-up thinking the spatial strategy was put in place to achieve.