The Minister for the Environment is to have discussions with local authorities, the Garda and the Director of Public Prosecutions with the aim of bringing about a much stronger enforcement of the protection of the State's architectural heritage.
We would not get anywhere until a clear signal was given by enforcement agencies that they were taking this matter seriously, Mr Dempsey told the House. He hoped that from now on, this kind of positive attitude to enforcement would prevail, particularly at this time when there were huge profits to be made in relation to property. Action needed to be seen to be taken quickly.
The Minister was speaking shortly before the passage of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Bill, which is intended to provide further safeguards for the protection of the State's built heritage.
The various agencies must make it abundantly clear that they were prepared to take cases where necessary in the higher courts, he said. The willingness by some developers to take a chance that the law would not be enforced could be reversed by action such as the clamping campaign which had dramatically reduced the level of parking infringements in Dublin. Laws alone would not afford protection, the Minister said.
The Bill provided for fines of up to £1 million and for five years' imprisonment. The planning code also provided for the reinstatement of illegally demolished buildings and this was a measure of the seriousness with which the Oireachtas viewed breaches of the law.
Mr Fintan Coogan (FG) welcomed the steps being taken by the Minister to ensure greater implementation of the planning laws. Mr Jim Walsh (FF) stressed the need to get the message across that we intended to be serious about policing and enforcement.