Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-07-15
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Victor Boyhan (IND), Agricultural Panel

I wish to focus on amendments Nos. 44 and 46 and meaningful public consultation. The Minister of State is welcome back to the House. I am conscious of his particular role with special responsibility for planning and local government and his own keen interest in this area, which I have observed over time. He is genuinely committed to this area outside of politics. He has a particular grá and interest in it. It is appropriate that he is actually our Minister of State with special responsibility for heritage, built and natural. In the 2024 Act and this legislation, it is important that we reassure the public in respect of the Aarhus Convention. There are issues in relation to the compliance committee. I do not know if the Minister of State is in a position to tell us where we stand on all that. There are very successful NGOs who work well and are funded by the Minister of State’s Department.
It is one of the great things about our democracy that we fund many prescribed bodies and NGOs in the environmental area. They make a great and very valuable contribution. There is a special place for them as there should be in any democracy. The fact that the Government supports them and finances them and they are sometimes the strongest opponents to Government policy is democratic. That is a healthy democracy. I commend all of them and thank them for engaging with us.
The real issue is public consultation. I understand what the Government is trying to do in this legislation and the needs, but I am not convinced based on the lack of data. The IPI, as I said earlier when the Minister of State was not here, raised concerns. A number of independent commentators and expert planners have raised concerns. I was at the meeting of Oireachtas committee on housing, planning and local government, although I am not a member, where the Minister was asked to substantiate the saving of €50,000 to €100,000. There is no evidence for that. There is absolutely no evidence that I have seen on it. Let us not get into that. To go back to amendments Nos. 44 and 46, in terms of the Aarhus Convention, is the Minister of State in a position to share any concerns that may have been expressed to him or his Department regarding this legislation? He might share that information with us.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-07-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:03+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-07-15