Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would like to again address the Senators' queries and their concerns about the issue of public consultation. It is our view that this could be addressed by secondary legislation via regulations. That is what we are saying. We will commence the preparation of regulations which will include, as I stated in the opening statement on this particular amendment, detail on public consultation. What is in the legislation is there as a minimum. It is not limited to that. I am giving assurance to the Members present this afternoon that within the regulations, details on further public consultation can be clarified and teased out in relation to some of the points raised by Senators Boyhan and Higgins.

We have had significant challenges around public consultation over the last 18 months. We all accept that, particularly in and around Covid-19. That is not to say, however, that public bodies have not responded positively. These include Departments across Government. First, the Government was formed during Covid-19. Many public consultations have taken place online and in other spaces. Our city and county development plans have largely been led through online portals. They have led to huge engagement from members of the public in prescribed time periods. We should take the lessons from that. Many members of the public and the organisations that have been part of those processes have found them useful. There is much to be gained from that, not just from time periods for engagement, but from how we engage. That is critically important here. It is important that we move away - as Senator Boyhan and I have discussed on a number of occasions - from linear consultation to more participative and inclusive methodologies, whether at local level, or in high-level legislative items or policy, such as the marine planning policy statement that we are talking about here this afternoon. I want to give that assurance to the Senators.

I know that Senator Boyhan will press this amendment. However, again, we consider that the detail on public consultation should be included around the drafting of regulations. The Aarhus Convention has been mentioned on a number of occasions here. It is significant and important from the point of view of people's engagement, communities’ engagement, access to environmental information and access to environmental justice. The Government takes this seriously.