Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the interest of brevity, I will speak to amendment No. 190, which is in my name and that of Senator Currie. It relates to development and rights of way. Senator Currie has covered the amendment very well so I will not go back over it. I fully support it.

I will briefly comment on parliamentary democracy. The reality is that politics is a numbers game. The Minister and I know that, as do all present in the Chamber. I do not have access to the Minister's folder of briefing notes, which is in front of him, but I know it aids him. I know he does not need to be reading notes as he is on top of this brief. No Opposition amendments have been accepted, however. This has been very much the way this whole Dáil and parliamentary period has been. That is just the way it is and we have to live with it. Opposition is a meaningful role. The Minister was in it for long enough himself. There is a role for us all in parliamentary democracy. This is an issue which the Minister might just take away and consider with regard to future legislation. At best, we have six more months here. The record has been one of solid opposition to everything we have proposed. I will leave it at that. I would not like to go away without stressing that point directly to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, as a very senior Minister in the Government. This is something which needs to be considered. I fully support amendment No. 190. I do not know what the Minister will have to say about it.

Amendment No. 191 proposes the insertion of "provisions, plans or existing rural housing". We debated this at great length and indeed much of it was covered in the media today. I know the Minister is personally committed to rural housing but he is in government as part of a tripartite coalition and he needs to work with all of his partners. I refer to the day of deferring. For the past seven years, I have been receiving letters about rural housing. I could paper the walls downstairs with them. I am told they are ready or they are working on a draft, or another draft. The Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, who is from County Westmeath, was very committed to this. He was very strong on rural housing. I understand the limitations and the politics of it, which is also a very important part in the mix. We were told yesterday that this matter is now on the desk of the Attorney General for further advice or clarification. That is legitimate and fair. It is his prerogative. When did the matter arrived on the desk of the Attorney General? I think it was a long time ago. Is there a timeframe for its completion?Whatever the outcome of the Government's policy on a draft of the rural housing guidelines, which is the Government's prerogative, there comes a point at which the draft guidelines should go out for public consultation. I do not believe it is the end of the process; it is the beginning of one. I call on the Minister to commit to putting the draft guidelines out for public consultation for a period when the time is right. This is really important. We cannot talk about consultation in the context of a development plan if we do not have consultation throughout all processes. That is the natural way to go. I would have thought it would have been the Minister's favoured option. Maybe it still is. It is really important. Many rural Deputies, Senators and county councillors are saying we need to facilitate families in the farming and rural communities to build homes. Invariably, they have their own sites or potential sites. Having a site lowers the cost, which is great. We want to strengthen rural communities and to have vibrant towns and villages all over this country. I accept the Minister's enormous commitment in this regard and, to be fair, there has been great progress. However, because of the political dynamic in government, some people seem to be stalled on this.

If the Minister is in a position to clarify when this was put on the desk of the Attorney General, when does he hope to get it back so he can look at it? Will he commit to a period of public consultation? I will not specify the length of time as that is the Minister's call, but people are getting a bit tired of excuses all over the country. I received two calls about this matter this morning from agricultural media correspondents. Following up on what was dealt with yesterday, they were asking how we can make progress on this matter. It is a live issue and a political issue for the Government. It is an issue out in the communities. People want to go through a proper, sustainable planning process that permits an application to be considered and facilitated, although not guaranteed. Yes, there has to be proper housing and sustainable development. This matter is really interesting. I am not going to let up on this. I have consistently argued for it for the past eight years, and the time has come. As we face a general election in six months, people in rural communities and towns all over this country want to know where the Government stands on supporting rural communities, including farmers and landowners. It is a key issue and we need greater clarity on it. It would be very helpful if the Minister could provide it today.