Public Consultation Process
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-13
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Joe Cooney (FG), Clare

I thank the Minister of State. Every one of us in this House knows of a local project, very often an energy project, in respect of which communities were angry about how developers engaged with them, or about whether they engaged with them at all. Instead of constantly dealing with these disputes, should we not create a clear set of standards that every public and private body must follow, whether it involves a major infrastructure project, a Department policy, the allocation of public funding or a county development plan? This is not about giving communities a veto; it is about making sure that when a project is to have a major impact on people's lives, engagement happens early enough to shape it before all the important decisions are made.
If we want climate projects, roads and housing developments to proceed more quickly and with less public opposition, we need proper national standards that every developer must follow before applying for planning permission. At present, too many communities feel that consultation begins only after the real decisions have already been taken. That damages trust from the very start and can cause much avoidable concern in communities. It is my intention to bring forward a Private Members' Bill to create national statutory standards for community engagement that all public bodies and private developers will have to follow. I hope the Minister of State will support it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:03+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-13