The Cathaoirleach celebrated Luxembourg. I wish to celebrate LGBT Pride Month, which takes place every year in the month of June. Traditionally, people across the world celebrate with joyful and colourful abandon.

However, because of a combination of Covid-19 and some draconian laws that have been passed, to which I will come in a minute, there is some fear and retraction of celebration. I ask that we have a debate in the House on the matter. I congratulate An Post, which has set a precedent with its beautiful commemorative Pride and Bród stamps and commemorative kit to remember and celebrate Pride.

In this Gay Pride month, we cannot take things for granted. In Waterford, the Pride flag was twice taken down. I commend the mayor of Waterford, Councillor Damien Geoghegan, for his alacrity and enthusiasm in putting it back up. In Dublin, graffiti was written on the wall of the iconic Pantibar. I commend Councillor Ray McAdam for his wonderful work in dealing with that. Dublin City Council adopted the policy put forward by the former president of Young Fine Gael, Dale McDermott, and installed a rainbow walk across from Pantibar. Unfortunately, there is a retraction in some parts of the world, but especially in Europe, where Hungary passed legislation making it illegal to show any material relating to gay people to people under 18 and linking it to paedophilia. Why are we allowing parliaments and parliamentarians around the world to continue passing these laws and expressing these views, which condemn people and create fear? There has also been a retraction of rights in Poland. I could list other countries across the world where the same thing is going on. Ministers have done huge work in our country, of which we could all speak. I would like a debate in the House on the full implementation of human rights in our country but also on the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community.

I thank the Senator for raising the incident in Waterford and the actions of the mayor. We all agree that he has been very forthright in expressing his views about what has been happening with the flag. We all also celebrate what An Post and Angus Laverty have done in making sure people celebrate diversity, which is what that flag is about.

I call the leader of the Opposition, Senator Boyhan.

I commend Senator Buttimer and support everything he has called for. I also acknowledge An Post. I do not know if anyone saw them as they were coming in this morning, but some of its letterboxes have been decorated in the rainbow. It is imaginative and it is great when big organisations embrace Gay Pride, diversity and respect for everyone. That has to come from the centre of corporations and the political houses because that is where leadership is important.

I raise the issue of An Bord Pleanála. There was much coverage of housing in the national press over the weekend and, indeed, at the Leader's own Ard-Fheis. There was also very important coverage in the national press yesterday about strategic housing developments and how over 60,000 houses are now caught up in some sort of legal jam or controversy. Much of this stems from strategic housing developments. I personally have no difficulty with people objecting and I have always stated that I am against strategic development housing because it bypasses citizens, local politicians and councils by allowing big developments in excess of 101 units to go to An Bord Pleanála. That is not good and is in breach of the Aarhus Convention. I note that, based on the social media of people of all political persuasions in this House and in local councils, they are frustrated by it. This issue was part of the Government formation negotiations. The Green Party has worked very hard in this area and I acknowledge that. The time has come to have absolute clarity. When is this practice going to stop? It has to stop at some point. We should of course allow planning applications to go to the planning authorities in the first instance. We are talking about empowering local government and local communities and it is important that decisions be made at that point. They could be appealed to the board after that but currently, nobody can object to those applications. There is no third-party appeal for strategic housing developments. It is crazy.

Previously, a person could make a submission to a local authority. If the person was not satisfied after that, he or she could appeal it to An Bord Pleanála.

This is clearly a difficult issue. An Bord Pleanála is overwhelmed by the situation. It is disheartening that, since 2017, the board has lost 80% of the judicial reviews lodged against it. It has been subject to 33 completed judicial reviews since the strategic housing development, SHD, track was launched, of which 14 were conceded without a hearing and 15 were conceded following court hearings and judgments.

I am asking for a debate on the matter at some stage, for the Government to set a date by which we will end the SHD process and for more resources for planners in An Bord Pleanála and our local authorities.