Today I am forced to raise again our concerns about the Government’s 925-page Planning and Development Bill. It should be receiving adequate consideration tonight but we know it will not because the Government is giving us just three hours to consider 177 pages of amendments to this extremely significant legislation. These are amendments we have never had the opportunity to consider in the Dáil. This developer-led Bill will cause real and lasting damage to our already sub-par planning system. If it is passed as it …

I cannot accept the line that the planning Bill has been considered in full. As the Minister knows, I was very engaged with it on Committee and Report Stages. This is one of the most substantial pieces of legislation the Oireachtas has ever considered but we certainly do not have enough time tonight to debate the massive number of new amendments that we have not had an opportunity to debate before in the Dáil. They were introduced in the Seanad. With respect, the Minister has not responded to my point about the Hig…

No.

I know others have already spoken in general about the process. Indeed I spoke about it this morning. It is really concerning to see that we have only three hours to debate 177 pages. I am just looking at the groupings we have been given. Even if we just look at the groupings, we can see 31 groupings of amendments and we are still only on the first grouping 45 minutes into what is only a three-hour guillotined debate. It is really unfortunate because these are new amendments that the Dáil has not had a chance to de…

Yes.

It is the amendments.

I will make three points in response to the Minister's comments. First, I restate that the difficulty for all of us in opposition with the process tonight is that we have not had sufficient opportunity to debate the amendments from the Seanad. There are 627 of them in 31 groupings and we are still on the first grouping. Three hours is not enough time to debate amendments we have not had an opportunity to consider before. Like others, I commend Deputy Matthews, who chaired the committee hearings so well. We had exte…

I very much support amendment No. 31. It is important to see the expansion of the definition of "transport infrastructure" to include, specifically, infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. I am delighted to see that. I hope we can all support it. I endorse Deputy Matthews’s comments on rights of way. I tabled amendments in this regard on Committee Stage, as he knows, and we had good engagement on this important issue, but it is a matter of genuine regret that we do not have time to debate further the matters o…

Hear, hear.

On the point raised by Deputy Duncan Smith concerning the very serious revelation about the Oireachtas Member who it appears is in the pay of Russia-----

The endless anti-immigrant talk is unacceptable.

Bring it on.

That does not even merit a response. It is outrageous.

It is ridiculous nonsense.

A Cheann Comhairle-----

I want to cut across this to-and-fro on this, remembering that there are child victims when we discuss child protection issues and serious matters which have arisen in respect of Sinn Féin's handling of offences of child sex abuse by an employee. I propose to the House that we make time available this week for statements on child protection issues. We should simply vote, or indeed agree by consensus, to make time available this week to hear statements on child protection and the procedures within political parties …

Hear, hear.

Tomorrow the Government will guillotine through the Planning and Development Bill even though it is one of the most important Bills this Dáil will consider because planning will determine our capacity to resolve the housing crisis, the energy crisis and, indeed, transport infrastructure. Ironically, under our planning laws, if a council or local authority made a decision the way the Dáil will make its decisions on the Planning and Development Bill, the decision would be quashed. We have real concerns about the Bill…

Before I start, I acknowledge the distressing escalation of conflict in the Middle East. Our thoughts and, I am sure, all our thoughts are with all those affected, with our Defence Forces in south Lebanon, their families and our citizens trapped in the region, who must be brought home. We need to see all diplomatic means exhausted to bring about peace in the region. I wish to raise with the Taoiseach today the question of child protection and how his Government will stand by survivors of child abuse in Irish school…

I thank the Taoiseach for his acknowledgement that the religious orders have not done the right thing to date. I had hoped for more in terms of a timeline. I ask the Taoiseach to refer our Bill to the Attorney General for advice. Our Bill would facilitate civil proceedings against unincorporated bodies such as, but not confined to, religious orders and would provide for the recovery of any damages awarded from associated trusts of such bodies. It is critical legislation and is needed to ensure that we do right by s…