Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

It is no harm to say something a second time even though I thought I made my position clear a few moments ago. Amendments Nos. 3 to 6, inclusive, refer to a higher two thirds majority as opposed to a simple majority. We discussed this at length last week. The debate on Committee Stage on this matter was very constructive and I reflected further on the issues raised. It was intended that any further changes proposed by local authority members to the amendments to the draft plan that had been subject to public consultation, namely the second consultation period, were to be subject to a higher approval threshold because such changes would not be subject to any further public scrutiny. It was always intended that a simple majority vote by the local authority members would be all that was required, as is currently the case in respect of all other stages in the development planning process. This is also the case in respect of variations to the development plans, namely where such changes would not be subject to further public scrutiny. Nevertheless, I will introduce a substantive amendment to further clarify and provide that the voting changes to the development planning process will only apply in such instances. Unfortunately, in light of such a tight timeframe, it was not possible to revert to the Parliamentary Counsel with specific proposals for legal advice. I have taken on board the strong input of Members to this element of the debate and I will address it accordingly on Committee Stage in the Dáil. I will report to the Seanad at a later date in light of discussions initiated here.