Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

Laissez-faire planning is not something in which I believe. That is the point I am articulating.

A Senator made an interesting remark to me today about these amendments. In recent years in County Monaghan supposedly democratic groups of councillors zoned sufficient land to have a city the size of Dublin built in parts of the county. I find that outrageous. The Minister also considered it outrageous and put a stop to it. He believed he had to do so using the powers available to him. In planning there must be proper checks and balances. We cannot have a situation where enough land is zoned to build a city the size of Galway without recourse to proper planning procedures. That is not feasible or realistic and it is not what happens or will happen. The Bill will ensure there will be a proper policy from the top to the bottom. While grassroots democracy is vital, the Oireachtas is important also in planning. It must set guidelines. It is not a case of deciding that we will not set guidelines, that we will leave it instead to councillors.

I want to make a specific point about something of which I have experience. It relates to the idea that a majority of councillors can put in place a development plan for the future. A majority of councillors can put in place a plan-----