John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State might clarify something in his response. What is being referred to is the planning enforcement process, which is entirely separate from what we are talking about here. If I own a property in Waterford city centre and works are required to the internal fabric of that building to change it from one property to three properties to provide units for housing purposes, I may apply for a section 10 notice under this to say it requires an exemption under regulations that may apply. Likewise, it could be a former pub being converted into residential units within the fabric of that pub, and I can do so through these regulations.

In my opinion, it is inherently sensible that I would be able to do that through a section 10 notice. It is not impacting on anyone. In the case of former pubs, they were probably residential units before they were ever even pubs, or at least a combination of the two. We are talking about the ability to streamline, and if there are issues where something is found not to be in compliance with a section 10 notice, it is the local authority's job under law to pursue that because it would be an unauthorised development in those circumstances. That will not be taken away. To listen to the Senator for the past few minutes, you would think we were doing away with unauthorised development and that a local authority would never be able to pursue somebody if they had built something in contravention of planning law. That is a totally unreasonable suggestion regarding what is being put into the Bill.