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Joint Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery

Business of Joint Committee

Summary

Committee business covered agreeing minutes, noting correspondence on greenways consultation and wind energy queries, and confirming the committee report launch for the next day.

Sean Fleming An Cathaoirleach Fianna Fáil

I advise members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex in order to participate in public meetings. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable, or otherwise engage in speech that may be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue his or her remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

No. 2 on the agenda is the minutes of the meeting on 17 June, which have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed.

Two items of correspondence have been received since the previous meeting. No. 41/2026 is from Ms Kate O'Neill, senior executive at Reputation Inc, seeking views from the members of the Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery. She is inviting committee members to participate in a 20-minute informal discussion, either on a one-to-one basis, in person or as part of a small group of committee members. Jacobs Consulting, working with the support of Reputation Inc, has been appointed by the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to undertake stakeholder engagement as part of the review of the national strategy on greenways. I understand Reputation Inc is contacting six committees as part of this project. If the committee is agreeable, Reputation Inc will follow up directly with members' offices to arrange the discussion. We will not be bringing their representatives into the committee but if anyone wants to meet Reputation Inc and have a briefing, Reputation Inc can contact members directly, and they have sent this correspondence to six committees. Is that agreed? Agreed. We will leave it to individual members to decide if they want to take up that invitation.

No. 42/2026 is a follow-up by Wind Energy Ireland from the meeting on 10 June. The correspondence is from Mr. Justin Moran, director of external affairs. The information contains answers to the committee's queries in regard the World Health Organization and wind turbine life extensions, including a note on the instruction of mandatory EIA scoping for renewable energy projects. A query related to Muingmore wind farm and whether energy costs are billed and dispatched down. Do any members wish to discuss this? There is a lot there and I suggest members look at the correspondence themselves and use the information for their own benefit. We will note and publish the correspondence. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Members have all signed off on the committee report. The launch will take place tomorrow at 12 noon in the audiovisual room. A number of stakeholder bodies we met during the period covered by this report have indicated their intention to attend. We have invited all of the witnesses who have appeared before the committee to the report launch and have had a positive reaction so far. I am told more than 30 of the witnesses who have appeared at meetings are keen to hear what we have to say. I hope a number of committee members will be present at the launch in the audiovisual room tomorrow.

Before we move to the next item of business, we will suspend the meeting briefly while we bring in the witnesses.

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