Results 3,781-3,800 of 8,081 for speaker:Peter Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I hope that on as many occasions as possible today I have used the phrase "he or she". I apologise. When talking about the position of mayor, my language may sometimes slip. I hope the work I am doing with our female councillors, giving them the human rights they deserve and have been denied for so long in terms of maternity leave, and my work with Women for Election, will demonstrate my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I appreciate the Deputy's comments and his support for the scheme. I look forward to working with him in delivering it. On Dublin, following its decision on gender equality, the Citizens' Assembly is now taking a look at the four local authority areas of Dublin. This will be a significant body of work. The Department of the Taoiseach is leading on this. We will feed into the process...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy Higgins for her very kind comments. There is a huge amount of reform going on in the local authority space. I am very proud to work with a Department that is really to the forefront of delivering that change. The Deputy referenced a number of items. One thing that really struck me looking around the various different local authorities is that it is key an authority...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I absolutely appreciate the Deputy's ongoing role as we develop this process. First, on the question of where we are, we have our general scheme. As I said, I have been in close contact with the Office of the Attorney General trying to get priority in terms of a drafter. There should be a drafter available this month and we will keep in close contact with the office. However, the office...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy again for his remarks. In the first instance there can be a positive resolution by the local authority members. If the local authority resolves to have its own democratically elected executive head, that is sufficient. Demand for a plebiscite can also be demonstrated by petition of 20% of registered voters within an authority's functional area. I would point out that my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank the Senator. I acknowledge her work and her representations on the role of our local authority members in respect of to their pay and conditions specifically. I appreciate the engagement from the Senator and her colleagues in connection with the legislation. The Senator mentioned the need for engagement with the council. We have done a good bit of that. I absolutely agree with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge his work in this area as well. I have had great engagement with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his office through this process and as the leaders were meeting to try to progress the heads of Bill through the Cabinet process. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, over in the Custom House has also been very helpful to me in going through...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy for his comments. Like him, I had the privilege of serving on my local authority in County Westmeath. I was humbled to, and had the privilege of, serving as cathaoirleach and mayor of my town of Mullingar. I could really acutely see the pressures of trying to raise a young family as well. It is so difficult to balance the work of being a councillor, and being the first...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: On the national development plan, we are renegotiating the capital envelope. As I go around the country and talk to people, I am finding that wastewater and water infrastructure are key stumbling blocks to development. We are trying our best in the context of the new capital envelope that is being negotiated. We all have to be honest. Irish Water was deprived of many of its funding...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy McAuliffe for his detailed analysis. To be fair, he is putting work into it. Head 46(4) provides some detail. It states: "The mayor and the director general shall agree a programme of delivery of local authority services following the budget meeting.." It gives the mayor reach in terms of the staffing element. It is codified to a certain extent but in the context of HR...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I absolutely agree. Strict deadlines are included in the legislation which would have to be adhered to when embarking upon the process. I hear the Deputy's concerns. There will be a certain element of risk involved in introducing any process to remove an elected individual which, as I have said, would be very serious. I hope it is a process on which we will never have to embark but,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill 2021 (18 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank Deputy Quinlivan for his comments. I am brave but I am not brave enough to say when the President will sign the Bill. Obviously, there is a very significant amount of work that needs to be done to get us to that juncture. Matters are still unpredictable. As I said at the start, the Dáil has been sitting only two days a week until recently. I spoke to the Attorney General...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Vacant Properties (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the position of vacant homes officers in our local authorities. The national vacant housing reuse strategy was published by my Department in 2018 and since then my Department has provided funding to each local authority of €50,000 per annum. This funding is to support the work of a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Vacant Properties (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: Yes. It is en route.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Vacant Properties (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: My apologies. It is on the way.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Vacant Properties (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: Not for the first time, we are hearing incredibly contradictory contributions from a Sinn Féin Deputy. In the first instance, he criticises the Government allegedly taking powers away from local authorities, and in the second, he says we should instruct local authorities and take over their staffing matters-----

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Vacant Properties (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: They have the funding. As I said, every local authority has €50,000 in place to support the vacant homes officer. It is a matter for the local authority to adjudicate on how staff are assigned. The Deputy seems to be suggesting otherwise, that we should try to take more powers away from local authorities, while at the same time absolutely contradicting that. The Department's role-----

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Vacant Properties (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I cannot help but hear the contradictions the Deputy is expressing. He might allow me the forum to complete my contribution, as I allowed him to complete his without interruption, but he obviously does not have the manners to do that. The Department's role is to drive and co-ordinate actions in central government to support local authorities in their actions to tackle vacancy in local...

Water and Wastewater Treatment Services: Motion [Private Members] (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: I thank the members of the Regional Group for their motion and Deputies Canney, Fitzpatrick, Grealish and Berry for their opening contributions and the constructive nature of the motion. It is timely as we go about reviewing our national development plan. They have highlighted the pressure points that Irish Water, as a public utility, is facing. I welcome the views of other Deputies on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 May 2021)

Peter Burke: In light of the impacts of the Covid-19 emergency, the Government, on 29 March 2020, made an Order under section 251A of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), which resulted in the extension of time for a range of specified or appropriate periods and timelines in the Planning Acts and associated planning regulations. Further orders were signed on 16 April 2020 and 9 May...