Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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14. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 175 of 27 September 2022, the status of the development of the promised section 28 guidelines for planning in Gaeltacht areas; the timeline for the public consultation; the timeline for the publication of the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59700/22]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Baineann mo cheist leis na treoracha pleanála do na cheantair Ghaeltachta. Táimid ag fanacht orthu le fada an lá. Ba mhaith liom soiléiriú a fháil maidir le stádas na dtreoracha sin. I seek clarification about the promised section 28 guidelines for planning in Gaeltacht areas. I did not hear the answer to the previous question but I am sure the two overlap. I am looking for clarity about these guidelines, which we were promised a long time ago.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Connolly for her question. The interdepartmental group, comprising officials from my Department, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and Údarás na Gaeltachta, is in place to support and accelerate the ongoing work on planning guidelines in Gaeltacht areas. A key aim of the interdepartmental group is to ensure that procedures and systems will be tailored as appropriate to facilitate an effective and consistent approach by all relevant local authorities to managing planning-related issues in our Gaeltacht areas. The interdepartmental group has been examining how current practices relating to the application of these provisions can be strengthened in the overall interests of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht and of proper planning and sustainable development, underpinned by a policy currently being finalised by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. This policy is critical and central to the development of section 28 guidelines for planning in Gaeltacht areas, which my Department is finalising for review. These guidelines will be subject to screening requirements, with a strategic environmental assessment and screening for appropriate assessment. On that basis, it is anticipated that draft guidelines will be available for public consultation early in 2023.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Guidelines were originally due to be completed by the end of 2021, then in 2022, and now we are coming into 2023. Tuairisc.ie and the Irish-language committee, chaired by Deputy Ó Snodaigh, has covered this. We produced a report and made specific recommendations. It has been raised by every delegation that has come before our committee and when we have travelled the country. I am utterly confused at this stage. We will have section 28 planning guidelines for the Gaeltacht areas and guidelines for rural areas. Are they the same guidelines or all contained in the same grouping? We are waiting for a policy from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media before we get the guidelines. We have a grúpa oibre, a working group, which I welcome, but I am not sure what it is working on. I mean no disrespect to the people on the group. We seem to be in a bubble of some sort.

Words would be helpful in addition to the signs the Minister is currently making. I appreciate that they are positive. Words to explain the confusion would be even more helpful.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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To be clear, there is no confusion here. Much work has gone on. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, met Conradh na Gaeilge recently, which is central to this. I have met Gaeltacht communities across the country. In response to that, to underwrite, secure and ensure consistent and sustainable planning in our Gaeltacht areas, these guidelines are specific to Gaeltacht areas. They will be issued under section 28. We have to comply with environmental requirements and assessments, strategic environmental assessments and appropriate assessments. That takes time. We have significant requirements relating to presenting documents for public consultation and ensuring that those environmental assessments have been carried out, because if they are not, there will be a significant risk of challenges in the future. Early next year, we will issue these guidelines, as well as the rural planning guidelines, which I think will provide a strong, sustainable statement to ensure that our Gaeltacht areas flourish and are supported, and that rural planning is done on a consistent and sustainable basis, which is critical.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Given the climate emergency, I have no difficulty with the importance of strategic environmental assessments and so on. That goes without saying but we are not at that point. We do not have planning guidelines. The delay has been on the part of many Governments. We are waiting for the planning guidelines. The people coming before us are not exaggerating. Everyone knows there is a problem with housing in Gaeltacht areas. It has huge significance for the Irish language. Without a sustainable way of living in houses, we cannot protect the Irish language. I do not have time to go into all that. The Minister of State is familiar with it in the first place. I have replies here that would fill a whole shelf in a library, like other colleagues who have followed up on the guidelines for Gaeltacht areas. The Minister of State is telling me they will be published in January. Is there a date for the publication? Is there a timeline for the completion of the consultation, the necessary strategic environmental assessment or the other reports? Having gone through all of that process, when will we have the guidelines?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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It is important to correct Deputy Connolly and say that the guidelines physically exist. They have to be screened as part of appropriate assessment before they can be published. That is part of the environmental process.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Is that process ongoing?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Absolutely. We hope to publish the guidelines in January.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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In January.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Tá ár gcuid oibre beagnach críochnaithe.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The next session will be questions to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. While we await his arrival, I welcome our guests to the Visitors Gallery. Good morning to everybody. You are all very welcome. There were other visitors during the debate earlier, too. It is great to have so many visitors to the House today. It is an historic day, with the President of the European Commission coming to address the House, which is why the rostrum is here beside me.