Under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Acts, the making of a development plan, including objectives relating to the use of land for particular purposes, is a reserved function of the local authority. My programme for the renewal of local government, "Better Local Government — A Programme for Change", includes proposals for the preparation of strategic planning guidelines for the regions, which would inform the development plans of the constituent local authorities. This process is to start with the Dublin and mid-east regions and, accordingly, I have written to the relevant city and county managers and regional authority secretaries, setting out how such guidelines might be drawn up and asking them to initiate the process. These guidelines will address all of the relevant socio-economic, infrastructural and environmental factors and provide a comprehensive overall framework for the physical development of the Dublin and mid-east regions over the next decade or so. As to the issue of rural resettlement, I refer to the reply to Question No. 11 on today's Order Paper.
