Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

All the amendments we are bringing back are technical, minor, drafting style amendments so I will address most of them together. The amendments to sections 3 and 21 on the long title arose out of proposals originally put forward by the Seanad. This Bill was the subject of an intensive and lengthy debate in this House on Second and Committee Stages. Arising out of those debates several amendments tabled here were either accepted here or the Government agreed to introduce them in the Dáil. I appreciate the impressive contribution of the Seanad to the development of this Bill.

In total eight amendments were agreed to during the Bill's passage through the Dáil, four of which were the result of a commitment given in this House to introduce such amendments on foot of suggestions by the Labour Party. These amendments to sections 3, 21 and the long title update the legislative citations used for the Harbours Act and the planning and development Acts. I brought forward another four amendments on foot of the advice of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel which corrected a drafting imperfection in section 7 and altered the wording used in section 9 to further protect the section against any future challenge should a ministerial order be made under it. These changes do not alter the substance or intent of the sections as originally debated in the House.

The amendments are relatively minor, technical drafting amendments and meet the requirements of the House as discussed when the Bill was here previously.