Results 1,621-1,640 of 6,949 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 390: In page 106, after line 39, to insert the following: “Obligation to prepare Gaeltacht housing and population development strategy where planning authority’s functional area includes one or more than one Limistéar Pleanála Teanga or Baile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta in the Gaeltacht 47. (1) A planning authority whose functional area includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: 212. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine a case (details supplied); when her Department will issue a decision to the school in question; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13513/24]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: 274. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 276 of 29 February 2024, the reason there have been such lengthy delays in issuing guidance to pre-schools and in opening the ICT portal for the upload of core funding applications; if he is aware that these delays may cause closures among pre-schools; if he is further...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: 315. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a progress update on the HSE recruitment freeze; when this recruitment freeze is likely to be lifted; if he will provide data, in tabular form, on waiting lists across adult mental health services compared to before the freeze was implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13512/24]

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes. I am happy with all that. I have a lot to say on amendment No. 407, so it would work better to take amendment No. 407 separately from amendments Nos. 401 to 403, inclusive.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Amendment No. 401 relates to the obligation to prepare a strategy for the conservation of natural and built heritage under section 48. The section states, "The strategy shall include objectives for the conservation, protection, management and improvement of", and the amendment will add the phrase "native species subject to the strict protection of species under the second pillar of the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: With respect to amendment No. 407, the Minister of State specifically refers to section 48(2)(i), which reads "places, caves, sites, features and other objects of archaeological, geological, historical, scientific or ecological interest", yet that does not say "historical sites". The Minister of State is reading that as "historical sites". It says "other objects of". That does not include-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: It states “and other objects of”. That “of” applies to “places, caves, sites, features and other objects”.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Historical sites-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Is it the case that landscapes that are of historical interest, for example, would be-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: -----covered under that wording?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Okay. I thank the Minister of State for that clarification. This is a 700-odd page Bill and there is no shortage of space in it to fit in the word “hedgerows”. It is just a question of whether the Minister of State thinks hedgerows are important enough to be covered here. It cannot be for lack of space or because it would add complexity. It is simply a matter of whether the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: There are cases where trees have to be removed, but this Bill states the words “trees” and “groups of trees”. That does not mean in all circumstances that every tree is always protected. That is not the situation. Is the Minister of State telling us that under this Bill a tree will never be felled because of a development? Is it the case that if there is a tree...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is not restrictive. It is just a matter of whether we place a value on hedgerows, like we do for trees. The Minister of State is saying “No” and that the Government does not value hedgerows in the same way it does trees. There is no question regarding whether section 48(2)(b) means a tree or hedgerow will never be touched. It is just a matter of whether value is put on...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State's justification for listing trees here and not hedgerows is that trees are subject to tree protection orders.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Will he give us a rough estimate of the percentage of trees protected by such orders? Is it less than 1%?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Very few. This wording does not say in particular the protection of trees or groups of trees that are protected by tree protection orders. It just says "in particular the protection of trees, groups of trees". That refers to all trees and the Minister is justifying this difference in wording as being about tree protection orders which probably not only cover fewer than 1% of trees but...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Please do.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I have a concluding comment before Deputy Ó Broin comes back in. I am not putting forward the case that, if hedgerows are listed, they will never be removed or that trees will never be removed. Of course there are circumstances in development where that has to happen, but in the exact example the Minister of State gave, this did not happen with ease because there needs to be...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Will hedgerows be part of that?