Results 2,721-2,740 of 7,432 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: 658. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the application process for the 2024 Community Centres Investment Fund is open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7997/24]

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: If that is one of the checks and balances, it is very weak. It is not a sufficient substitution for Oireachtas approval being required in terms of regulations. There will be regulations going through that people are not aware of. They do not manage to get motions seeking annulments in time and so on. These provisions are being used to try to design a system to minimise accountability,...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: With regard to amendments Nos. 38 and 39, and the need for public participation for our compliance with the Aarhus Convention, will the Minister of State explain this to us? He said that sometimes there is some consultation and sometimes there is not - that it is not necessary sometimes. In terms of compliance with the Aarhus Convention, how is that decided? I am concerned by the Minister...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I do not want to disrespect the Chair but from my point of view, the opinions of the IPI on the planning process and this legislation are highly relevant.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but we should be able to cite those opinions, especially when we are talking about prescribed bodies and the IPI could be one of the prescribed bodies. That is in our amendment so I think it is relevant.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I do not mean to disrespect the Chair with this comment. I want to follow up with the Minister of State in relation to two aspects of amendments Nos. 38 and 39. I raised compliance with the Aarhus Convention. The Minister of State said that there has to be public participation as part of any SEA process. We know that, but Aarhus compliance goes way beyond an SEA process. There is meant...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: On Aarhus Convention compliance, the Minister of State referred to the SEA process. Article 7 of the convention is about SEA consultation and public participation. Article 8 is about compliance as regards laws and regulations, and secondary legislation falls into that. Our amendment seeks to ensure compliance with Article 8. The Minister of State is not accepting it. He will look at...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State will come back to us at a later stage in terms of compliance around this part of the Bill and Article 8 of the Aarhus Convention.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister of State.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Is the principle of a resolution being passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas for all of these regulations one the Minister of State is willing to accept even if he is not willing to accept the principle around the timings around the debates?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am really alarmed by this wording on orders and regulations in section 4(6). It is incredibly sweeping. Given that the Bill is centralising more powers to the Minister overall, and removing safeguards and curtailments, having such a sweeping provision in the Bill in that context is quite disturbing. That is not least because we do not have a good history in this country in respect of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Did the similar provision in the 2000 Act require any regulation, under the wording of that Act, to be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, or can the Minister do that without a resolution being passed in both Houses? Is there a safeguard in the current section 4(6) requiring a resolution to be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, or does that not apply to section 4(6)?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State can correct me if I am wrong. The 2000 Act had the safeguard that any regulations made under this would require approval by a resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas. With this, most of the regulations that could be made under it do not require approval by both Houses of the Oireachtas. Is that the case?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The specific question I asked is whether it is the case that under the 2000 Act most of the regulations would have required approval by a resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas whereas under this provision, that safeguard is not in place for most regulations.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: To finish out on this, am I correct in saying that the 2000 Act required a resolution?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am suggesting it is not the same. The 2000 Act required a resolution to be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, which is a key safeguard. This legislation does not require a resolution to be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas but merely requires a regulation to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas, with the option of a motion to annul within 21 days. The sweeping power...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but we have a sweeping power now in this Bill that had a form of safeguard in 2000 but that is now gone.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is a sweeping power. These are planning matters and this is a planning Bill. We had an incredibly expensive tribunal looking into planning matters and one of its recommendations and conclusions was that there was too much centralised power in the hands of the Minister but since then things have only gotten worse. This Bill makes it worse again and gives the Minister sweeping powers to...