Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I agree with my colleague, Senator Coffey, in this regard. The Minister of State is correct that we must have a national spatial strategy. We must have regional guidelines which come from the top but it is the make-up of the regional development plans specifically we are speaking about rather than the guidelines in terms of who organises them, puts them into place and operates them. As has been stated, regional authorities do not have the resources where planning is concerned. I want to refer to the actual plans rather than guidelines, the make-up of those and the power of regional development plans now which I understand will have greater strength where planning is concerned than they had previously. The goalposts have changed. We will not be in the same position we were in previously if this Bill is passed. This legislation will give greater control to regional authorities in terms of the input into their plans in particular and regional authorities having to refer to the regional plans. It is another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy that is being put into the planning system.