Michael Fitzmaurice criticises state agencies over planning delays

I wish you well on the new legislation that you are bringing forward in relation to infrastructure. My own personal opinion is that if it is not emergency legislation, it will be caught again down the roads, re-housing and waterways, or roads, and water and sewer. How would you like to get this message? I would ask you the question, I welcome the new legislation, but this is another part. The EPA was set up by the State. The EPA on board Planala was set up by the State. I got a message the other day from a guy I know in the west of Ireland that is employing 200 people. How you fits? 18 months now and we are still waiting for planning. Three million spent before that. Three million to spend. Anyone else called last week from on board Planala to have another walk around. Business does not wait for us. We have worked in specialised manufacturing, pharmaceutical and microchips. We are now in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. 200 people employed, 40 more jobs to be created. I am fed up of state agencies. Denmark wants us to move production with a building straight away. No objections. They appreciate business. Sad to say, but we have always tried to make sure we would create jobs in Ireland. It is a sad thing to say, Fitz, that we may have to move. The system is, he said, if and it ended with D. I would use the word broken. That is the word of a person that is creating jobs in this country. That is ABP. The state is also responsible for the EPA. A few months ago I saw George Lee talking about peat being extracted illegally. A person went and went through every one county, we will have a report next week, to show that everything that was on one county was misinformation, what was given out. We see the EPA at the moment talking about farmers and why at the moment, outside every water treatment plant, where the exit of the water is coming out, there is enough of videos done by ordinary people right around this country to show what is coming out at the exit. Why isn't there an analytic basic information that they can put there to know the flows and the type of stuff that is coming out. These are two agencies set up by differing governments, not you personally, but differing governments. These are two agencies that are failing people in this country. With your new legislation, and I wish you well on it, the new legislation has nothing to do with this. How are we going to get these people to do their jobs efficiently, properly and fairly for the people of this country? Thank you very much indeed. That is why this morning the Government launched the Accelerated Infrastructure Report. Minister Jack Chambers has led the charge since this Government was established nearly a year ago now in terms of an infrastructure division within the Department of Public Expenditure, appointing an external task force led by Sean O'Driscoll. And a number of people from the private sector and involved in state agencies who have first-hand knowledge of the challenges and barriers to getting development in this country. And its report is comprehensive, and it is not that any one measure will change this. But the sum of all the measures, and we are going to pass legislation to establish a critical infrastructure bill. We will also develop legislation around emergency powers being given to Government. And there is a need also for concurrent decisions by various state agencies, not sequential. In other words, when the planning is going on, the procurement should be going on and the other permits should be sought as well, not one after the other. And there is much, much more in respect of that. We are also bringing in legislation. The Minister for Climate and Energy announced, for example, that there is a six-week consultation in respect of capping the fees, in respect of the costs of judicial reviews and how much the taxpayer ordinarily pays now compared to what should be the case into the future. And so there are a lot of measures. The issue for us is to implement them over the next 12 months, and we are determined to do that. There will be timelines, and there will be no hiding place for agencies either. And there will be clear instructions given to agencies to do their work. And if they don't, that light will be shone upon them for not doing their work. We always have to keep on mind, the Environmental Protection Agency was established at the time for good reason. I remember, I think it was back in, let's say, 89, 90, that period, if I'm not mistaken. Why? Because there was a major incident in a pharmaceutical plant, if I recall. And no, there would have been plans perhaps coming in relation to that. But there was always a good rationale as to why agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency was established. We do need a planning authority, and that is required, 1992 actually was the EPA, and I think there was an incident in Ring of Skiddy, actually, if I recollect. And so, because people cried out for protection, you know, the public want protection. And in terms of measurement, you're correct. I mean, I was on farms recently, well, not recently, but a year and a bit ago now, where the whole flow was measured, right to the estuary by Togusk and the farmers, in fairness. Every 10 minutes it's measured. The only thing is that the estuary still is polluted, so they're not totally disconnected, so we have to be aware of that. But in fairness, a lot of metrics by farmers on the ground are quite impressive in terms of what is happening on the ground. Thank you, Tisha. Things are very advanced. Thank you. But Agencies have to work more effectively. Thank you. Deputy Fitzmaurse. Deputy Fitzmaurse. Deputy Fitzmaurse. As I said earlier, I welcome the legislation that you are proposing, but the legislation you are proposing is talking about ABP, basically judicial reviews, which I agree with that there are too many of them. It will be more difficult, to put it simple, and different tweaks like that in your talk about emergency legislation. But I am talking about an ordinary person that is creating jobs in rural Ireland, and in the west of Ireland 200 jobs to us is the same as 4,000 in Intel. That is the reality. But the problem is, before we go to judicial review, or before we keep going on all the other parts that you are bringing in, and as I say, I welcome that. The state agency of ABP has held these people up. Their board of directors and this company are meeting next week, and do you know what they are deciding? Are they pulling plants in Ireland and are they going to go to Denmark? That is a sad reflection from people that set up a business in Ireland, employ Irish people and would die for this country. We need to make sure that there is accountability. I am not talking about the judicial reviews. That is further on all that is doing. I welcome what you are doing. I am not going against that. But what I am saying is that the state agencies are not doing their jobs to help facilitate these businesses. The Prime Minister, if you can get us in contact with that company, particularly Minister Peter Burke, or Minister Jack Chambers would be interested in meeting, both Ministers would. The First Minister may be seeking to do anything to help them in their situation as Minister for Enterprise. And then Minister Chambers could do well to listen to that company in terms of the barriers it has faced. Now on to the board plan, all you are saying is the problem. We have established a new planning commission, which has been substantially resourced, much more than its predecessor. And certain systems have changed there because there was an inherited situation, a report plan all that was not good. And the legislation allows for, in the Planning Act, timely decisions now, on time. And there has to be statutory delivery. This business of looking for more information, looking for more information, it is just driving people nuts. And there has to be decisions taken on time in respect of core economic. And I fully accept that 200 jobs in the world is huge, particularly in that sector, they are good high value jobs. Thank you, Peter. And I fully accept that. Thank you, Mayor.