Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That includes a number of Government amendments. These amendments seek to ensure that the two aspects of the screening determination, one in respect of the screening as to whether there is a need for a strategic environmental assessment or appropriate assessment, as well as the actual assessments. The concern is that in screening, only the extension period will be looked at, rather than, for example, asking if an existing development plan requires an strategic environmental assessment and whether there are dangers there. Such dangers could include, for example, a development that is planned for an area that has turned out to be a likely flood plain or other concerns that might arise. Therefore, there is a question in terms of the environmental impacts of existing plans. The concern is that it is quite narrowly framed in the Bill. The question is whether the extension period would have an impact, rather than whether business as usual would perhaps have a negative impact that may not have been anticipated fully when the original county or city development plan was being drawn up a number of years ago. That is the concern that is addressed in our amendment.

There are two concerns. One concern is the existing plan being properly considered as to whether it needs strategic environmental assessment or appropriate assessment further to what it would have had three or four years previously. Then, there is the question of the extension period. There is another extension issue that I will address when I speak on amendment No. 17.

However, I wish to acknowledge the another issue about which I am concerned, namely, the extension of the extension periods. Therefore, there are almost two issues. One is the residual existing plan, then there is the question of the screening of the extension and there is also the consideration of the incremental extension, as we discussed earlier.

I wish to acknowledge that amendments Nos. 13 and 15 from the Government partially address the second of those concerns. They do not address my first concern around the question of whether it is business as usual and its impact are being properly assessed, but they address the second concern. I thank the Minister's officials. I have had engagement with them over the last week and I wish to acknowledge that. I thank the Minister for taking on board and addressing the concern that extensions, when considered alone, are as appropriate in combination with the previous extensions of the plan. They should always be considered in combination with previous extensions. I do not know that the phrase "as appropriate" needs to be included. However, I wish to acknowledge that the Government amendments at least require for some small amount of cumulative impacts over the course of the year to be recognised. Those are my views.

I support amendment Nos. 13 and 15 from the Government. I may have worded them slightly differently, but I fundamentally support them. However, there is another issue that remains unaddressed, as set out in amendment No. 12.