Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of planning permission and the obstacles for many people in rural Ireland who are refused planning permission. I commend my colleague, Deputy Martin Kenny, on the Bill he proposed to amend the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1977, which will permit local authorities to grant a waster water discharge licence to applicants who want to build one-off rural houses where the percolation test has failed. I do not say this to increase pollution in rural areas, but we must be cognisant of the advances in technology and treatment systems that will allow waste water to be treated in a much more environmentally-friendly way than is currently the case. The Bill would move us away from zero discharge, which has prevented many families from building houses in rural areas. I know many families in Mayo and other parts of the country who are forced to pay high rents in different areas. I know one family who must have five jobs in total to pay the high rent, yet they are refused planning permission to build a modest house on their own land. That is not right. The planner is put out and if there has been incessant rain, naturally the trial hole will be full. The matter must be taken in the wider context of there being percolation solutions to address those problems.God knows, we have enough depopulation in rural Ireland and enough families struggling to make a living that we must address this. That is why I urge all parties to support this legislation and allow it to go through to the Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government where it will be further scrutinised. Time is of the essence because depopulation in rural areas of Ireland is a very serious problem. We want all the families which can remain in rural Ireland to stay there. We want our schools to be vibrant, and to have vibrant communities but that is not possible if we do not facilitate people in getting planning permission, often for their own land.

I ask that the Leader invite the Minister to the House to discuss planning permissions and the obstacles to people being able to build their own homes in rural Ireland.