Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Having heard the views of various Senators, I want to give an alternative view. I have genuine fears in this regard. My concerns are based on past experience of previous national plans. Senators have mentioned the national spatial strategy, which has been an abject failure. It was diluted too strongly to the point where there was something for everyone in the audience. The Fianna Fáil Government that introduced the spatial strategy in the last decade then transposed it by means of other measures, such as the decentralisation plan, which was pulled like a rabbit out of a hat to satisfy political demands rather than to uphold the exigencies of proper sustainable planning involving regional growth areas and a proper hierarchy of planning needs. If we bring that type of thinking to what Senators are now proposing in this amendment, it will affect the current national planning framework, which sets out a clear and definitive hierarchy of priorities and specifies the cities and towns that need to grow and the nature of the rural development that will follow.

I hope the media can take account of the next point I am about to make. Senators can correct me if they think I am wrong in this regard. If we were to bring the current national planning framework before the Seanad and the Dáil, I believe it would be torn to shreds due to the Government's current minority status. I suggest it would be diluted beyond recognition and would no longer be a sustainable planning framework. I do not think it would recognise the hierarchy of the regional cities we need to have in this country. It is quite right that Deputies fight their corner, but if every Deputy wants regional and county towns to have the services to which cities normally aspire, we will not have good planning.

The national planning framework should be adopted by the Government of the day after it has been informed by deep consultation. It is acknowledged by Senators that the Government has been so informed in this instance. There was consultation at every level when the national planning framework was being drawn up. There was consultation at Oireachtas committees and regional assemblies. There were various regional meetings as well. The Government took on board the concerns that were expressed in the various regions. That is why the national planning framework has been broadly welcomed. I do not see anybody being too critical of it. If we start making the national planning framework a location for the parish pump in the Oireachtas, we will be going down a very bad road. I would love to have everything in the constituency I come from. At the moment, we are fighting for regional services for our hospital. The south east is one of the few regions that does not have 24-7 cardiac care. I do not believe there should be a hospital at every crossroads, or city services at every crossroads.