Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This discussion is on the county development plan. The county development plan is looking at a number of these sections, including: sustainability and regeneration; economic development; housing; the creation, improvement and preservation of sustainable places; environment and climate change; and the conservation of natural and built heritage. We talk about balanced regional investment but things like wastewater supply and services must be considered. The NWRA came out with an infrastructure tracker two days ago. It referred to the fact that the ability of these areas to grow capacity has been extremely limited. The figure for County Galway is approximately 30% in terms of population growth. For Roscommon, it is something like 65%. Roscommon is in a far better situation. It is down to things like wastewater supplies and services, as well as transport and the dual train line we want to see from Portarlington to Galway.

On the county development plan and the way we are working on this with planners, how will we ensure we will have planners with the training, qualifications and supports required to able to do this? I know staffing for planners has been a challenge for Galway County Council. It causes stress and much angst for local authorities, which are working, I am sure, with the best intentions. That does not, however, translate to people on the ground who are putting in their planning applications. I ask the Minister to address that issue in his reply. In addition, I ask him to explain how the RSESs from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly work? Is it the Ministers and the national statement that will be seeking to ensure the RSESs align in the context of a growth centre that crosses both of these RSESs?