I commend the Regional Group on this very important motion. I have spoken about this issue several times in this House. It will impact on rural counties along the western seaboard and especially Kerry. Much of the land in south Kerry is already taken up with biodiversity but farmers have nonetheless improved their holdings and little fields. I did break my leg in a drain trying to improve a field on our farm, and many other people have had their backs and bones hurt badly doing this kind of work. They were grant-ai…

I will speak to some of the amendments in this grouping. Like Deputy Mattie McGrath, I am concerned. When changes are made to the national planning framework, they must be discussed in this House. Recognition has to be given to the elected councillors in our local authorities. We have had the scenario where councillors made certain unanimous decisions which were refused by the Planning Regulator and management came back asking them to change their decisions. In other words, this diluted what the people wanted and w…

The young fella was raised all his life on the same acre. The father has a half-acre now and so has the son. This designation is preventing him getting planning permission. I left out a very important part. This young fella wanted to build a house next door to his father because his father has got bad medical information concerning his future and he wanted the son and his wife to be beside him. That has been refused. Likewise, there is a lady seven miles east of Killarney. This area is designated as under strict ur…

I thought I asked a very clear question. I asked if the Minister will do something about the wrong being delivered upon people in rural areas. They are being treated the same as the people the Government wants to stop coming out of towns and cities to rural areas. These people were brought up in these places all of their lives. My time is short; I have only two minutes available. When Kerry County Council was putting in place the county development plan last year, the Planning Regulator insisted that the council ag…

You are excluding them. When they did formulate their plan they were overridden by the planning regulator.

I was always brought up to mean what I say or say what I mean. There are so many contradictions in these amendments proposed by Members. Some of the amendments are good and some are terrible. Both kinds have been tabled by the same Members. We have been promised for years now, since I was elected in 2016, that the planning framework guidelines would be put in place to help planning and help people achieve planning permission to build homes for themselves. Some Members have tabled amendments supporting that idea, bu…

I am very concerned about the whole process we are going through here tonight. It clearly does not demonstrate any genuine will to help people to get planning permission in rural areas. Indeed, there is little to suggest there is any help forthcoming for people who want to build in urban areas. With regard to the two points I highlighted previously, there are amendments that propose further restrictions on those looking for planning permission in rural areas. Despite this, the Government is talking about helping pe…

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The Government is.

That is totally incorrect.

The Minister of State is blaming the planners in Kerry County Council.

The majority in Kerry County Council proposed a smaller radius around the towns.

The regulator that the Government is in charge of directed the county manager to increase the radius. The Minister of State is blaming the planners and doing nothing to regulate this.

He is not being honest. This man is getting away with this because he is not being accurate.

Well, he did not answer it properly.

He is blaming the planners in Kerry County Council. He is wrong about that.

He did.

I am glad to be here for this very important debate. I support this motion because the people are totally annoyed with what the Government is doing. None of the Government parties - Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or the Green Party - campaigned at the last general election to end neutrality or the triple lock and, therefore, they have no mandate for any such policies. I ask them to hold a referendum and to tell the people the truth this time. The Tánaiste, who is at the front of this removal of the triple lock, said in 201…

There is not much difference between the whole lot of ye anyway.