Written answers
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Planning Issues
11:00 pm
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 912: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement, further to the European Commission Internal Market Directorate letter of 27 June 2007, regarding certain provisions (details supplied) and following the Government's reply of 28 September 2007 to the European Commission. [27287/08]
John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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My Department received a Letter of Formal Notice dated 27 June 2007 from the European Commission under Article 226 of the Treaty, seeking the observations of the Government on whether the "local needs" test contained in a number of County Development Plans for the granting of planning permission for one-off dwellings in rural areas is compatible with Articles 43 and 56 of the EC Treaty which guarantee respectively the freedom of establishment and the free movement of capital.
My Department responded to the Commission's enquiry on 28 September 2007 and presented a strong defence of our current rural planning policies and practices. At the request of the Commission, my Department met with officials from the European Commission on 25 February 2008 to discuss the matter further.
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