Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas, a Chathaoirligh. I am grateful to the Cathaoirleach and to the committee members to have the opportunity to present to them today these proposed planning regulations.

The regulations consist of the Planning and Development (Street Furniture Fees) Regulations 2024 which waive the section 254 street furniture licence fees for the remainder of 2024 for tables and chairs associated with outdoor dining. As members will know, like many other sectors, the hospitality and restaurant sector, and indeed the wider tourism sector, suffered the brunt of the measures to manage the Covid-19 pandemic in recent years and the ongoing impacts of cost inflation.

The Government is committed to providing support to assist these sectors, where appropriate, and these regulations are a repeat of the measures we introduced, as the Chair said, in 2021. This will be the fourth year in which we have brought these regulations forward to assist the hospitality sector by reducing the cost of maintaining outdoor dining in public spaces. Again, there will be no fee for awnings, canopies and heaters that are used in conjunction with the tables and chairs.

The draft regulations I have laid before the Oireachtas propose to waive the fees chargeable for street furniture licences under section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and Schedule 12, Part 1 of the associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, in order to assist in reducing the cost burden for hotels, restaurants, cafés, public houses and other establishments where food is sold for consumption.

In this regard, the street furniture licence fee for installing tables and chairs to facilitate the consumption of food in places I have just mentioned is being reduced on a time-limited basis for the current year up to the end of 2024 from €125 per table to €0 per table. Furthermore, it remains the position that no fee will be applied on a permanent basis, which were changes we made as a committee before, in respect of the installation of awnings, canopies, heaters and other related furniture such as these, provided they are in conjunction with outdoor tables and chairs.

Under the provisions of the Planning and Development Act, I am required to obtain Oireachtas approval for any exempted development regulations, or regulations amending the fees for street furniture licences, before I can sign them into law. Hence the presentation of these regulations to the committee.

I commend these draft regulations to the committee. Having regard to the legacy impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing cost inflation, the regulations are aimed as a continued support for the hospitality and tourism sector in the current challenging economic environment facing that sector, while also facilitating increased vibrancy and commercial activity in urban areas. These have been welcomed by the sector over the past three years. I also want to ensure that where outdoor furniture is placed, it ensures that areas are still fully accessible for people. Our local authorities have done a good job in doing that. People have got more used to dining and to having their cups of coffee outside since the Covid pandemic even though the weather does not always help in that regard. I have seen the added vibrancy it gives to main streets right across our country, including in my own constituency.

If, further to today’s presentation to the committee, these draft regulations are subsequently approved by positive resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas, as required under the planning Act, they will come into force as soon as they are signed by me. If approved by the Oireachtas, it would be my intention to sign the regulations into law at the earliest possible opportunity. I am happy to take any questions members may have and to hear their views on this. In real terms, this is a good cost reduction measure. As I said, we have made permanent changes on canopies, heaters, awnings and that type of thing. These street furniture regulations are reviewed each year and the current draft regulations before the committee will involve the waiving of the fee until 31 December 2024.