Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response, which is very welcome. The initial ten to 12 consultation week period displayed a considerable level of understanding but I appreciate that the Minister has clarified the situation in that regard. Many of the groups concerned are not leaving things until the last minute. I outlined earlier the reason for the delays, namely, that it takes a lot of effort, time, people and moving parts to get a proper submission prepared.

As the Minister said himself, this is a very complicated issue. I am supportive of the general idea and I do not want my contribution to be interpreted otherwise. However, I feel that a four-week period for written submissions is too short, especially in the context of the obstacles I have outlined. I appreciate that the Minister will take this into consideration and appeal to him to consider extending the deadline by a fortnight or two to accommodate the mid-term break.