In regard to the judicial review area, the Planning Bill must be amended to include a clear legislative direction that the High Court should deal with applications for proceedings. Provision is to be included in the Planning Bill that the applicant for judicial review be required to have previously shown an interest in a case.
The courts related issues do not require legislation but the Courts Service is to be asked by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to examine ways of speeding up the processing of legal proceedings in relation to major infrastructural projects. These include the listing of signifi cant planning infrastructure cases for judicial review separately from other cases; putting in place an arrangement under which the President of the High Court may, from time to time, assign a judge to the hearing of significant planning infrastructural cases, so that that judge would specialise in those cases; the aim of putting agreed arrangements in place by this May; and the establishment of a separate division of the High Court to deal with planning and infrastructural issues in the light of the experience of the next 12 months. They will see if it is possible for the President of the High Court to put somebody in position. They believe that will succeed. If it does not, there will then be a division of the High Court. That does not require legislative changes.
Other aspects in the document concern the Planning Bill, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands and the National Roads Authority. These include a code of practice governing the procedures in relation to archaeological licences for road projects, which is to be ready by the end of March. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government and the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources are to come to a decision on the process involving the national roads affecting the foreshore, where there is a number of issues and projects.
The National Roads Authority is to assume sole responsibility for route selection, which relates to the Deputy's question, on the core roads where this is clearly necessary and where significant reductions in delays and costs may be expected. As I understand it, the toll roads legislation does not require change. The objections can be taken in one bloc. The Attorney General has looked in detail at this issue. I have not seen his fine report, which the Department of the Environment and Local Government has been looking at in the context of the Planning Bill. However, subject to correction, I understand they can do that. It is the intention to do it, either with amendment, if it is required, or without amendment if it is not required.