Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry, I am talking. Is there no other motive? Can the Minister indicate how many and which local authorities have identified a need for provisions to allow for the extension of existing county development plans and are seeking these provisions? Has the Minister considered the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020, and orders provided under the new section 2(5)(1)(a) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and the impact they already have on effectively freezing time for the preparation of county development plans and an extension of duration of permissions?

Has the Attorney General given specific advice on this matter? Will the Minister share that advice with the Houses of the Oireachtas in order that we can be informed in proposing our amendments for Committee Stage? Can the Minister also indicate what the basis was for selecting the date of 1 January 2024, up to which the provisions on extending existing county development plans have effect? Furthermore, what is the maximum amount of time by which a county development plan may be extended under the Bill?

On the extension of planning permissions, I have sympathy regarding the time that was lost due to Covid-19 and the associated public health restrictions. I also have difficulty, however, with the granting of blanket extensions in respect of existing planning permissions. Would be better to grant these exemptions on a case-by-case basis with the extensions then granted on the basis of the months lost due to the shutdown of construction? I have concern that blanket extensions to existing planning permissions, some of which have been in place for 15 years, will lead to planning hoarding.