Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for trying to clarify the matter but I disagree fundamentally with his claim that he is not taking power from local authorities or materially affecting regional authorities. If that is the case, why are there sections in the Bill that apply to regional authorities? Why are we changing the law such that it will require local authorities to comply with regional authority guidelines? That is a fundamental change and to say otherwise is wrong. We agree that there are regional planning guidelines and it is important that we have them in co-ordinating strategies in local authorities. However, to say the Bill does not change anything is wrong because it obliges local authorities by law to comply with regional planning guidelines, something they have not had to do heretofore. They have had to take account of and refer to them but they have not had by law to comply with them. That is a fundamental change to the way development plans are made.

We agree that there should be a national spatial strategy but who makes that strategy? What democratic consultation has there been on it? When will it be sent for public consultation, seeking submissions from the public, as happens in the case of a development plan? The national spatial strategy does not have the approval of the Oireachtas. It has the approval of the Minister and the Government. That could change at any time but we are obliging all local authorities to comply with the views of the Minister, the strategy and the regional authority guidelines. That is the problem; we have a top-down approach that fundamentally changes the way development plans are drawn up. I am trying to be fair and voice the concerns of those who are concerned that the fundamental mechanisms proposed in the Bill for making development plans are to be changed dramatically. There is no point in pretending otherwise.