Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has said there are several iterations regarding public participation. I have no problem with this, but we should introduce some criteria for public participation. There are strict criteria in every other part of the planning process, as the Minister of State knows only too well as he has been a champion in this regard in respect of one-off planning. People have to jump through hoops to meet the strict criteria applied if they seek planning permission for a one-off development. All stakeholders should have some ties, involvement or expertise, if nothing else. Anybody who wants to do so can lodge an objection or make a statement on a file. He or she could be from the other side of the world and have no ties to the area in question. There should be some criteria attached.