Results 3,781-3,800 of 4,726 for speaker:Malcolm Noonan

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Defective Building Materials (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I will give that assurance again. The Senator is absolutely correct in saying there is a deep commitment by the Department at ministerial level and at official level to resolve this. The Donegal and Mayo scheme was to set a template for other counties. The fact that we now have an enhanced scheme gives the opportunity for Clare County Council to work with the Department to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Council (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: The Collaborative Town Centre Health Check is an initiative of the Heritage Council which is funded by my Department. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Sites (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 46 and 47 together. My Department, working with the Office of Public Works (OPW), and in partnership with the Local Authority, made a bid earlier this year for the purchase of a folio of land at Carns that included a passage tomb dating to the Neolithic period. The monument is protected under the National Monuments Acts as a Recorded Monument but it is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Conservation (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 51, 52, 54 and 55 together. With respect to population estimates, my Department undertook an extensive breeding gull survey of a wide sample of urban habitats across the State in 2021. This National Urban Gull Survey is part of a wider seabird surveying collaboration with UK authorities known as Seabirds Count. The analysis of the Irish and UK data is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Conservation (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Departmental staff recently met with the European Commission to discuss progress on the Birds Case (C 418/04) Programme of Measures. Another meeting will be held in January 2022 with a view to identifying further progress on the Case. With respect to the 2017 update, it was to indicate that the referenced planning authorities have responsibility for urban areas (in relation to town or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I refer to the reply to Questions No. 468 of 19 October 2021 and No. 393 of the 2nd of November. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) paper referred to is currently at an advanced drafting stage following the extensive research, consultation and orientation work. It is hoped that the final paper, which is being prepared Prof Jane Stout of Trinity College Dublin, will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank the committee for affording me the opportunity to present this set of proposed planning regulations on behalf of Deputy Peter Burke, the Minister of State with responsibility for local government and planning. The fast-track planning arrangements in respect of strategic housing developments, SHDs, for projects of 100 or more housing units, or 200 or more student accommodation bed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Will I take that question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Officials from the Department, Ms Ciara Gallagher, Mr. Brian Loughlin, and Mr. Terry Sheridan, are with us to deal with any issue I cannot reply to. I would say "Yes" that it certainly would. The positive aspect to these regulations is that the fees will go back to the local authorities to help enhance their resources within planning units to carry out their work. That is a very positive...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I appreciate that Chair. Hopefully, I have answered the question adequately. As I said, it is certainly a positive element.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank the Chair and Senator Cummins for raising these important questions. The Department is undertaking a review of local authorities across the country in regard to resourcing. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will make an announcement around the resourcing elements the Senator has raised. We are conscious that this is putting an already over-burdened planning system within local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Again, I agree wholeheartedly. These regulations, and the LRD Bill, put public participation back at the heart of large-scale developments. They also seek to ensure the planning system is robust and allows for a streamlined planning process that ensures everybody can take part while also guaranteeing that decisions can be made in a timely manner. We take on board the points made regarding...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I will respond to the points raised by the Chair, if that is okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: These points are critically important. We are also looking forward to that announcement by the Minister. There will also be a review of the planning fees. We need them to be more reflective of the interdisciplinary nature of planning decisions and the complexity now required at local government level in that regard to ensure robustness in planning decision-making. That applies not only to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Again, I agree wholeheartedly. The type of participation in this context is critical and embedding participative planning in our system is crucial to achieving that objective. It is also important from the perspective of the potential success of those proposing projects that they engage with communities at an early stage and at the same time as they are engaging in preplanning processes....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I will go through the three questions. The Deputy is correct in terms of the interdisciplinary competencies that we need across local government right now. Not every local authority has the full suite of them but some do and, separate from the announcements next week from the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, I will be announcing a scheme to roll out additional biodiversity officers. While...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: That is an excellent idea. Perhaps some of the smaller counties could share resources like that, be it architects, archivists or biodiversity officers. While we are straying off the core point, it is critical that all local authorities have those resources. That idea of perhaps sharing biodiversity officers is something we will give serious consideration to. I thank the Deputy for that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I did. I might pass on the last question as it was a technical question and come back with a response.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: With regard to the activations and the flipping of sites, a vacant land tax will be coming in and I am sure it will help in that regard. I agree with the Senator wholeheartedly in terms of the resources, and the point was well made by Senator Cummins as well. I do not have the detail of the announcement from the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, as yet. As I said, this will be an ongoing process...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft Planning and Development (LRD Fees) Regulations 2021: Motion (2 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Yes, that is the case. The fees are almost identical but, where the fees under the SHD previously would have been split between An Bord Pleanála and the local authority, in this case they go 100% back to the local authority. That is a very positive initiative from this set of regulations.