Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-25
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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

I move amendment No. 9:
In page 18, line 21, to delete “endeavour to”.
This is a very simple amendment to change the words "shall endeavour to" to "shall". So, it is removing the words "endeavour to". This amendment is to oblige the EPA to make decisions within the timeline specified by the regulations. This is how the Planning and Development Act 2024 was written. I know because I have flashbacks to that time. The Bill has been written so that the EPA can continue to endeavour to make timely decisions but never have to actually comply with deadlines. Based on the Minister of State's contribution, this is contrary to what we are trying to achieve here. This is an oversight by the drafters. When the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, was here on Second Stage, he clearly said that it is his intention to get the EPA to make decisions in a predictable and fixed period in the same way that An Coimisiún Pleanála now makes decisions. It is about delivery, which is what the Minister of State said at the opening. Certainly, this ambiguity does not help that delivery. It certainly will not fix the problem with decision-making. I ask him to accept this amendment.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:41+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-25