Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is significant planning legislation. I wish to put on the record that legislation as significant as this should not be pushed through the Oireachtas. I acknowledge, as others have done, that members of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage received a briefing on the general scheme. It was agreed that they would not push for pre-legislative scrutiny on the basis that the committee would write to organisations, such as the Irish Planning Institute, to seek expert advice on the measures proposed in the Bill.

The Bill was only published at 8.34 p.m. on Wednesday. This is not a good way to legislate. The Bill's stated purpose is to mitigate the disruption caused by Covid-related delays. Sections 2 through 6 of the legislation deal with county development plans and provide additional time for the preparation of such plans. I have not heard of any local authorities that have requested additional time for preparation of their development plans. Could the Minister explain the motive behind that provision in the Bill? Is there-----