Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I concur with Senator Mullen in passing on the sympathies of this House to the families that suffered the tragic loss of two members in recent days. It is hard to believe such a loss could come while holidaying in such a scenic spot in Ireland. I have two simple queries for the Leader. We tend to see many items floated in the newspapers first but they have to find their legs somewhere. The first query is on local property tax, LPT. I see a big whip being bandied around about taking the power to set local property tax from local government. I refer to the discretion in changing the tax up or down 15%. I am curious to know if this was kite flying by the Government. The threat to take that power from local government certainly seemed to come through those natural channels. It was brought to my attention by Councillor Cormac Devlin yesterday at the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, meeting in Mullingar and I read the piece in question afterwards. Many councillors had extreme concerns because it is one of the few hard powers that have been left with them. That is one concern and I am curious to know if the Leader knows anything about it.

Second, a document is to be released in the next couple of days with particular reference to the midlands. Some people who are city-based might not be aware of it but the Leader and many of my colleagues present from country areas - at least outside the M50 - certainly are aware of the national planning framework and its intentions for rural Ireland. I refer in particular to planning and the number of hubs and zones for development that are being examined. What is going to be done to one-off planning and even planning in towns and villages is dramatic. If the proposals under this new national planning framework come to fruition, there will be a change in the Irish way of life. When the planning proposals are fully ventilated and people are aware of what is being proposed, I believe groups involved socially in rural Ireland such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA, the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, and others will be vehemently against some of them.

That is because it is going to be the death knell of rural Ireland. Anyone travelling through rural Ireland at present can see shops in villages and towns are closing in front of us. I was listening to the radio coming in this morning. I did not hear the full extent but a chap who was incapacitated and had come through an arduous journey in Ireland was speaking. I did not get the full gist of the story on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning but he mentioned how he was met with generosity in rural Ireland. He also spoke about closures in towns and villages. I suspect there will be a serious backlash in respect of the national planning framework if cognisance is not taken of rural Ireland and the people who intend to stay there and live the lives their forefathers have lived.