Following the screening of the RTE Investigates   program last night, Senator Gerard Craughwell said that he was shocked by the revelations regarding some Councillors.  

In the Sunday Times this weekend there was an excellent article on some of the problems surrounding policy making in Ireland. The article reiterated my own belief that the policy  advice and direction given by Senior Civil servants at national level is sometimes seriously flawed with serious consequences for citizens. The article refers specifically to  the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act passed in Dec which made Specific Planning Policy Requirements such as apartment size standards mandatory. I raised serious objections to this Bill in the Seanad as it gave the Minister considerable new powers to override Local Government and issue what are effectively mandatory guidelines.