Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 33:

In page 47, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following:"Amendment of section 28 (Ministerial guidelines) of Principal Act

10.Section 28 of the Principal Act (as amended by section 2 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2015) is amended by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection 1C:

"(1D) Where the Minister is considering issuing or amending guidelines which contain specific planning policy requirements, they shall be put to public consultation and subsequently, a draft of the guidelines shall be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas, and the guidelines shall not be issued or amended as the case may be, until a resolution approving the issuing or amending of the guidelines has been passed by each House.".".

At the request of the former Minister, Deputy Kelly, the 2015 Act included a power for the Minister to issue binding directions without consultation. He immediately used it to establish maximum housing standards which local authorities cannot improve upon - an unacceptable situation. On Committee Stage, my proposal to delete that power was rejected. At this Stage, I propose that this significant power be subject to checks and balances by requiring that the specific planning policy requirements be put to public consultation and that the guidelines they are contained in be approved by each House of the Oireachtas.