Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I ask for a debate on regional planning guidelines as soon as possible. In most regional authorities the regional planning guidelines are on public display. We have seen the flooding fiasco in recent months due to poor planning. This is a golden opportunity for the Seanad to debate something relevant to local authority members and Senators. I ask for this debate because in most cases the closing date is around the end of March. When St. Patrick's Day and Easter are taken into consideration, we do not have much more than six weeks in which to do something. Will the Leader arrange a debate on this important issue urgently? As he appreciates, regional planning guidelines affect every local authority when adopting county development plans. More importantly, local authorities must vary their plans immediately once the regional guidelines are adopted. The House has an opportunity to have an input into regional planning matters. Since there are nine regional authorities and their guidelines probably differ, the debate would need to be lengthy and structured. I hope that the Leader will arrange for it immediately.