Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know, but he has not provided much clarity. In the case of virtually every application for planning permission for a one-off house that has been refused in County Kildare since 1 November last, objective 19 of the national planning framework has been quoted as part of the refusal. There is no clarity with regard to objective 19, which refers to "economic or social need". It has been interpreted as meaning "social and economic need". The Minister of State added another consideration to the list when he referred to "social, economic or occupational terms". This will confuse things further. We want clarity so that people can go by their local county development plans. Something from higher up should not be dictating what should and should not happen. It is unfortunate that planners, particularly in County Kildare, are taking objective 19 of the national planning framework on board as a greater priority than their own local county development plan, which was put in place by councillors at local level.