Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hear what Senator Higgins is saying. Clearly, four weeks is not enough. I have to remind Senators and the Minister of State of something, and it is not because he is a member of the Green Party. I know many of his colleagues and his party's counsellors and I am aware that they became politicised through their advocacy for planning, environmental and community issues. They were to the fore on that. There are six or seven of the Minister of State's party colleagues on my local county council. That is testimony to their work, commitment and advocacy on the environment, especially the marine environment. All of them had track records in community and environmental advocacy initiatives before they were ever elected to the council. It followed that they then got elected, which is a fantastic achievement and I have been talking to some of them.

While a period of four weeks is proposed in the Bill, I am suggesting a moderate increase of two weeks in order to make it six. Four weeks is very tight and I am suggesting six. It would be fantastic to have a 16-week period but that will not happen; it is an increase of 12 more than I had am suggesting. It would be unreasonable if a modest increase from four weeks to six weeks was not facilitated. I know that it is the end of the year, that the Minister of State is completing the cycle of this Bill and that he does not want to go back into the Dáil and bring in changes but that should not limit the scope for getting this right. It is two weeks of additional time to allow the citizens that the Minister of State and I represent to prepare. I am suggesting six weeks with a heavy heart, but I am trying to be practical and realistic and more importantly I am trying to be pragmatic.