Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

Section 21 amends section 37H(2)(c) of the principal Act providing for the extension of cost recovery to pre-application scoping requests for environmental impact assessment for strategic infrastructure development cases under the Seventh Schedule of the principal Act. This is in addition to cost recovery which is already in place for the strategic infrastructure cases that proceed to a full application and determination by An Bord Pleanála.

Senator Coffey opposed the entire section on Committee Stage on the basis of his concerns regarding costs and public confidence in the determination of such costs. On Committee Stage, I confirmed that the applicant pays principle is the basis for the payment of costs under the strategic infrastructure Act. This section provides for the recovery of costs associated with the pre-application stage for strategic infrastructure cases. I also clarified that such costs can be offset against the formal strategic infrastructure application fee for those cases that proceed to a determination by the board. We must remember that we are generally talking about large-scale strategic infrastructure projects in this instance. It is unrealistic to expect the Exchequer to have to foot the bill for these costs.