Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Today is our fourth meeting in a series of meetings on urban and rural regeneration. We are joined from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage by Ms Maria Graham, assistant secretary, and Mr. Stewart Logan, senior planning adviser. Ms Lisa Clifford, from the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, section of the Department joins us remotely. From the Department of Rural and Community Development we are joined remotely by Mr. Fintan O'Brien, assistant secretary; Mr. Eddie Forsyth from the rural fund and corporate support unit; and Mr. J.P. Mulherin, from the rural programmes and policies unit. We have circulated the opening statements to the members.

I will outline what the committee has done so far. We have had a series of meetings. We agreed to discuss dereliction and vacancy and a number of related areas such as compulsory purchase order, CPO, transport-orientated development and how we can bring life and vitality to rejuvenate our towns and villages. In this fourth meeting we will discuss another important aspect, that of central government funding to support policies such as Town Centre First and Our Rural Future and also to support many of the measures that are outlined in the Housing for All strategy. Central government funding is critical to that. We recognise that not all funding for our towns and villages will come from central government. There will also be private investment and they will all work together to regenerate.

I am delighted the witnesses have joined us. I and other members are former local authority members. The URDF and the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, announcements are always a time of great interest and excitement at local authority level because they have done some fantastic work out there. We have all seen that in our constituencies in the few years since the funding was introduced.

I will ask the witnesses to make their opening statements and members will then be invited to address questions to them. We will limit it to seven minutes for each interaction involving questions and answers.

I remind members of the constitutional requirement that members must be physically present within the confines of the place where the Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House, in order to participate in the public meetings. For witnesses attending remotely from outside the Leinster House complex, there are some limits to parliamentary privilege and, as such, they may not benefit from the same level of immunity to legal proceedings as a person who is physically present in the Leinster House complex does. Both members and witnesses are expected not to abuse the privilege they enjoy and it is my duty as Chair to ensure that this privilege is not abused. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

Members and witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. The opening statements will be available on the Oireachtas website after the meeting.

I apologise to witnesses for the late start to the meeting. We had a vote in the Chamber and then a roll call was sought on that vote which delayed us all. Some members are still in the Chamber, but they will join us when they finish there. I invite Ms Graham from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to make her opening statement.