Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Amendments Nos. 34 and 35 are to be discussed together. My amendment No. 35 proposes that the Government shall submit a draft of the revised or new national planning framework, together with environmental report and appropriate assessment report for approval by vote of each House of the Oireachtas before it is published. This is important. There can never be enough communication when it comes to government.There needs to be transparency and communication. This was not the experience of the public or anyone outside the Fine Gael Party when it came to the national planning framework. I am proposing an amendment today that seeks to strengthen the Bill. It will ensure that never again can a Government set up a stall in rural Ireland and launch a document advertising its wares without proper discussion in this Parliament. The Fianna Fáil Party proposes this amendment so that no matter what national planning framework ever again comes to this Parliament, it cannot go through without a vote in the Dáil and in the Seanad. I will be looking for the Minister of State's support in this. There was a lot of disappointment over what happened with the national planning framework. Many people I spoke to were very disappointed. This national planning framework has a massive impact on people's lives, whether it is through quality of life, job creation or transport. This is about people's lives and it is important that nothing else can happen again unless it is voted through the Seanad and the Dáil.