Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Sinn Féin wants to get planning right. We want a planning system that makes good-quality decisions in a timely manner following meaningful public participation. We want a planning system that allows the public, semi-State and private sectors to meet the social and economic needs of our country, that ensures the delivery of good-quality and affordable homes, renewable energy projects, improved public transport and critical infrastructure and that ensures the development of all this at scale but, crucially, in a manner consistent with our climate targets and the need to protect and restore our natural environment.

Unfortunately, that is not the planning system we have. For decades, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have underresourced our planning system at both local authority and An Bord Pleanála level. That underresourcing has been compounded by disastrous planning legislation that has often been rushed through the Oireachtas by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Governments.