Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The response was informative but not very positive in respect of my query. I ask the Minister of State again if this matter could be addressed. I am not looking for extensions to planning permissions across the board. We are all aware of the two years we just had. People are trying to get back to normality. While a five-year window may sound like a long time, it becomes a very narrow window when the two years of the pandemic are subtracted, especially in cases where people's circumstances have changed. There is a case for giving consideration to special circumstances, on a case-by-case basis, through an application process with criteria for genuine people. I appreciate the urgency involved and the reasons the legislation seeks to expedite the activation of planning. However, letting planning go because people cannot commence construction, for genuine reasons, will possibly result in the loss of a house or houses. I would appreciate if this matter could be considered from a human perspective.