Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Across the country, homes, schools, community buildings, farms and businesses are crying out to generate their own solar energy but, unfortunately, the restrictive planning framework for solar generation has undermined progress in this regard. Planning regulations currently require planning permission for all but the smallest of solar panel installations on homes or businesses which are exempt. This has had a major chilling effect in rolling out solar energy generation. The problem is even worse for schools and community groups because there is no exemption, even for smaller installations, on their buildings. This means that planning permission is required for all solar installations on educational or community buildings. As a result, schools and community groups are locked out and cannot share the benefits of renewables. In the rare circumstances where schools decide to plough ahead, they are at a disadvantage because the requirement to obtain planning permission adds €5,000 to €7,000 to the cost of installing solar panels.

Before I go on, I want to make it very clear that I am not against strong planning regulation. In fact, I am in favour of greater democratisation of the planning system and more curbs on the ability of vested interests to manipulate that system to their own benefit. I also very strongly oppose any attempts being made by this Government to undermine the public's ability to engage with the planning process. If there was ever a case for less red tape in the planning system, then surely putting in place rooftop solar arrays on primary schools in the middle of a climate crisis is it.

For the past two years, there have been nothing excuses and delays. Successive Governments have committed to updating the regulations. There were specific commitments in the Climate Action Plan 2019, including a commitment for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to complete a review of the regulations in the fourth quarter of 2019. In 2020, the Department was still conducting that review and it is still doing so in 2021. What is the status of the review?

A new roadblock was then thrown up. I refer to the supposed need for a review of the potential for glare and glint to impact on aircraft around airports. This is news as Dublin Airport has just opened its own solar farm. At this stage, it is farcical that schools are not able to put up solar panels without planning permission. In response to a parliamentary question tabled in June, the Minister of State indicated that the tendering process for this research had not been completed, let alone the research itself. When is the research on glint and glare going to be completed?

In January we were told that we would get interim planning regulations which would at least allow for greater solar installations, excluding installations in the vicinity of airports to allow for detailed analysis of the potential for airport exclusion zones to be finalised. In April we were told that the revised regulations for solar panel exemptions would be submitted to the Oireachtas for approval shortly. In June it was claimed that a strategic environmental assessment was needed and that interim regulations would instead be put in place in the fourth quarter. However, the full strategic environmental assessment process only started in earnest in September and an associated public consultation will only commence in November. The result of this is that the interim regulations are now set to be completed in early 2022.

Why is it that Ireland suffers these difficulties when other European countries do not? It does not bode well for the climate action we are going to have to take. Can we hear when we will be done, once and for all, with the excuses and delays? When will the interim regulations be delivered to the Oireachtas to allow schools and community groups to participate in the transition to a decarbonised future?