Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

This group deals with judicial review procedures for planning and environmental matters. Amendment No. 56 applies the relevant recommendations of the 2004 Law Reform Commission report on judicial review procedures for planning and environmental consents, and amendment No. 57 gives effect to a particular point of the public participation directive and will comply with the judgment of the European Court of Justice in respect of access to justice in environmental matters. The amendment introduces a provision which will mean that in relevant judicial review cases, parties will only be responsible for their legal costs. The provision will also give the courts the discretion to award costs in favour of a particular party if it is considered to be in the public interest to do so.