Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

The Green Paper on local government reform is like a curate's egg, as it is good in parts. However, I welcome it and I very much look forward to the White Paper, which Senator Boyle said will follow. The Green Paper is lacking in detail but this will be contained in the White Paper, which will fill in the gaps. We will have something more substantial to get our teeth into then.

Many calls for a debate on planning issues have been made. Perhaps the Leader will consider such a debate in conjunction with a debate on the Green Paper. People in rural Ireland feel they are being planned out of existence. I refer to the right of people to live where they were brought up or the right of a retired person to return to the place from whence he or she came. Preplanning is regarded as a right but I have been contacted by good, hard working county councillors from all over the country with stories about their problems securing preplanning meetings for people who approach them with difficulties. Will the Leader include this issue in the debate?

I strongly support the remarks of Senators O'Donovan and McCarthy about the operation of sea-fisheries regulations by our enforcement agencies. Every right thinking person believes these people are operating in a discriminatory fashion against domestic fishermen in favour of foreign fishermen.

I would like to think Senator Ó Domhnaill is correct about the property services regulatory authority Bill but it will not be taken in either House this session.