Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I respect his position. He takes his advice and puts his best case forward. I thank the contributors to the debate. It is not over, however. As the Bill was initiated in this House, it will come back from the Dáil and there will be another debate and set of engagements with the Minister of State.

I thank the Oireachtas Library and Research Service. Many Members have referred to its digest on the Bill. It is an excellent piece of work.

On technology generally, we have a long way to go. I have a letter from An Bord Pleanála and its hope for a new IT management system. I have been four years on the Oireachtas housing, planning and local government committee. The programme for Government contains the objective of having a fast, online and efficient IT system for planning. Many local authorities do not even have colour scanners. Some in rural parts of Ireland cannot access detailed montages or coloured drawings, etc. We have a long way to go but I accept it is on the way. We have had a few setbacks but it is something on which we all need to focus. I, as do many, embrace new technologies in terms of planning and understanding development plans.

I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the enormous work of our city and county council chief executives, their directors of planning and executive teams. They do a particularly hard job. It is not an easy one. I would not want any suggestion to go out of here that they were, in some way, deliberately setting out to frustrate public engagement. They are not necessarily doing that.

My problem, however, is this discretion. The Minister of State also referred to it in his response. The Bill's digest stated "The Bill also replaces the mandatory requirement [of city and county executives] to hold public meetings about a proposed [city and county] development plan, with an obligation for planning authorities to consult with and to invite written submissions from members of the public on a proposed development plan." That is the difference. It is an issue of empowering the executive. I understand and accept that, in the strategic nature and early stages of development plans, it is wholly and exclusively a matter for the executive in terms of preparing it. The executive puts it to the elected members who propose amendments, which are voted on by them. At that point, a draft plan is ready to go out to the public.

That is where we are. I am somewhat disappointed that the Minister of State is not agreeable to the amendment. That is his prerogative, however, which I have to accept. We have done our best. It is an issue which will come up. I am mindful of the fact that the Minister of State, I and other Members are strong advocates for councillors and local government. We have to be consistent about empowering local authorities with all aspects of power. I was hoping to take it out of the discretion of the executive. I did not want it to be politicised for the politicians either because I do not believe that would be right, appropriate or proper. The balance of power in the majority of councils changes from time to time. We have had this provision in legislation since the 2000 Act. It has served us, city and county councils and development plans well for a long time. It was my hope that we would put it into the legislation and that it would not be a choice of anybody. Instead, it would be a legitimate expectation of the citizens that they would have this opportunity.

That is where the difficulty is. I note from looking at development plans online that they are at different stages. Politicians of all sides and none hold successful meetings themselves. I am not sure if they are all very accurate in terms of representation and planning because they do not have the same expertise, however. It is important professional planners are there.

Will the Minister of State consider, before the Bill goes to the Dáil, bringing clarity to the next stage of the process to ensure somewhere in it we would have an obligatory public consultation? The Minister of State made a valid point about the first stage, where it is strategic and involves the executive's input. At some other stage in the development plan process, it might be possible that the Minister of State stitches in some measure to make it obligatory, given health considerations, Covid and emergencies, to have a physical public meeting in a public place.