Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Once again, the blame is put down to the volume of submissions received, which is causing the delay. Although the Minister of State did not say this explicitly, the previous Minister did. What is happening is the message is being sent to An Bord Pleanála, in particular, that this is not a major issue of importance to the Government because there has been no effort on its part to update the regulations in this area. There has been a mad rush to get planning applications in and we continue to see that. The Minister of State must also see this. Why is the Department so slow when the industry is so quick? That is what is going on.

It would be well within the senior Minister's entitlement under section 28 to issue a direction to county councils and An Bord Pleanála asking them to cease accepting applications until guidelines are introduced. That would be a reasonable compromise for everyone to ensure no planning decisions are made during this process. We have asked for this on numerous occasions and there is no doubt guidance could be issued in this regard under section 28. That should be considered because what is happening is not fair. Young couples trying to build a house in these areas are put through the mill in the context of rules and regulations with which they must comply. Some people wish there was a gap in the regulations for young families trying to build a house in rural Ireland but there is not. Regulations are strictly applied to them and that is not the case in respect of wind turbines.

As I am sure the Minister will see from the submissions that have been made, his predecessor's proposals do not go far enough. When the finalised guidelines are published, they will have to go much further. In the meantime, it is well within the Minister's gift to cease the processing of applications while they are decided.