Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for being here this morning and I thank Ms Moran for her opening statement. I wish to follow up particularly on housing. I am aware of the requirement to demonstrate a local need with planning applications. When people get to the stage of applying for planning permission, what are the factors leading to refusal in the first instance?

I welcome the work that UCC is doing. I presume that will look at housing stock overall, including local authority houses, houses available for rent and vacant houses. When is that research due to be finalised? I know Ms Moran said she is hopeful that the Minister will look at that in the context of the upcoming policy plan for the islands again, which I believe has been delayed again. Based on a reply to a parliamentary question that I got about two weeks ago, I was told that the Minister expects a draft to be ready for her consideration by the middle of this year. Obviously, the witnesses want that draft to be made available to them. This is not the first time they have asked for that. Have they requested that from the Minister or the Department and what was the response?

Broadband is obviously very important for all of us. It is just as important for the islands. The witnesses have said that broadband connection points, BCPs, are already available on several islands. How many have them? Is any work under way on the further roll-out of BCPs? Ms Moran mentioned the need to accelerate the broadband plan which does not seem to be happening now. We are concerned that last year's revised target was also missed.

Regarding the policy overall and all the issues outlined today, what level of engagement do the witnesses have directly with the Minister? Have they met her? How many times have they met her?

On energy, if a request has gone in for a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, this committee can certainly push for that to happen. To date that meeting has not taken place.

If the islands policy is published and includes the need for island proofing, we should not have these issues with schemes that are introduced. We should not have these issues if island proofing was there in the first instance when schemes like this come forward which do not consider the added barriers and challenges for island communities, particularly when it comes to grants. As Mr. Walsh outlined, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine did this and it could very easily be done for energy, housing grants and everything else affecting both the mainland and the islands.