Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

In support of Senator Coffey, the remit of An Bord Pleanála has changed completely in recent years. It has a much wider remit now than when it was established. The Bill proposes to confer more powers on it as regards the charges it can make. If we allow this it will, in some cases, put it outside the reach of the normal person who may object to a planning application. I hope the Minister of State will reconsider this matter. If one is looking for an expert opinion from An Bord Pleanála, God only knows what the cost would be. From my reading of this section, in some cases, one might be paying for an engineer's report as An Bord Pleanála would be entitled to charge for it.