Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

“In page 17, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “ “excluded consultation periods” means that the following days are not included in the counting of any public consultation provided for under this Act or required by any action or decision taken under this Act where they fall within the public consultation period proposed:

(a) public holidays or bank holidays in the State;

(b) the period between 24 December in any year and 2 January the following year inclusive;

(c) the first two weeks of August;

(d) such other additional dates which the Minister may prescribe in a public participation statement or in regulations made under this Act;”.”

I will move the amendment but I will not press it on this occasion. Amendment No. 3 relates to the accounting of days. I understand it might not be necessary at this point, insofar as I believe there has been movement on the public consultation. The amendment is to highlight the phenomenon with which we are all familiar, whereby the Christmas period and periods of bank holidays become the periods in which there are opportunities for engagement. That has an impact for civil society, for example, for those who may be workers, their allies or their colleagues who can engage in processes. It even has an impact on the awareness of the opportunities for engagement and consultation.

This is sometimes a wider issue of public consultation right across government. We have seen the phenomenon of the Christmas public consultation and the August summer public consultation. The goal should always be for the best possible public consultation and for real opportunity for engagement. The goal should not be to get through a public consultation with as little inconvenience from the public as possible by not having engaged, although I know that is not the intention. I understand there was some positive engagement on the public consultation matter in the Dáil.

Amendment No. 34 is around the arrangements for participation in the review of, preparation for and amendment of a new marine spatial plan, MSP. Amendment No. 34 provides that the Minister of State might by regulation specify requirements relating to appropriate time periods for public consultation and arrange for the publication of notices related to relevant documents. These are big documents. They are significant sets of decisions. Of course, they are directly related to the Aarhus Convention and the right of every person to participate in environmental decision making. This amendment suggests areas in which regulations and measures might be put in place in order to ensure that we have the best possible public participation in the development of any new MSP. It sets out certain particular directives that are important in that process. I mentioned the Aarhus Convention. There are also directives on industrial emissions. That is particularly important now, given that Scopes 1, 2 and 3 and the tracking of corporate and industrial emissions, are becoming particularly important. I also note integrated pollution prevention and Articles 9 and 10 of the MSP directive. I believe these principles and policies should be reflected in the public engagement, as well as the opportunities for public engagement, around an MSP. I hope that the Minister of State might be able to accept amendment No. 34.