Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I will respond to the issue of Traveller accommodation first if that is okay, in regard to category B and planning. Deputy Ó Broin raised the Part 8 approval process. Action B.2 in category B was to put in place the legislative provisions to suspend the reserved function of elected members for approval of Part 8 proposals for Traveller accommodation, and also to suspend the reserved function relating to the agreement to dispose of land for the purposes of developing Traveller accommodation and provide these as executive functions.

As I said, this is an ongoing work programme. A temporary exemption has been provided for local authorities from the Part 8 approval process to construct housing developments on local authority and designated State-owned lands zoned to include residential use, and subject to compliance with the requirements of the recently inserted section 179A of the Planning and Development Act 2000. A temporary exemption has been put in place for local authorities for that.

I agree with what has been said about the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation. Many young Traveller families are choosing different options as well in terms of living in private rented accommodation or other local authority housing. The nature of Traveller accommodation is changing but this is an important part of the recommendations of the Traveller accommodation expert review to ensure that where families require housing that it is not being blocked for political reasons locally. That is important.

I will wrap up by referring to embodied carbon. It is a hugely important issue. There is no doubt that it is complex. I remember many years ago trying to put stipulations in development plans for low-carbon cement. In the absence of a procurement policy that would back it up, competition issues were raised by other providers. At the time we did not have a climate Act to back us up either. That landscape has changed significantly, which is for the better. Procurement policy is an important part of it.

Looking at the conditions that may be attached to a consideration of a grant of planning permission, something could be included on embodied carbon. That is something we could consider. Rather than prescribing something specific on low-carbon cement or certain materials, given that building materials per se are not a planning matter, and that it already states that there are conditions requiring construction and demolition waste to be recovered or disposed of in such a manner such as the extent may be specified by the planning authority, but I could ask the team to perhaps look at including a broader reference to embodied carbon.