Results 4,681-4,700 of 23,109 for speaker:Paddy Burke

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: That has nothing to do with the amendments; it has more to do with the section.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: The Senator may discuss that when discussing the section.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: Amendments Nos. 21 and 27 are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. Government amendment No. 21: In page 12, to delete lines 18 to 28 and substitute the following: "(d) A further modification to the amendment— (i) may be made where it is minor in nature, (ii) shall not be made where it refers to— (I) an increase in the area of land zoned for any purpose, or (II) an addition...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I support what Senator Cummins said on regional authorities. Other Senators agree on the importance of determining how regional authorities will work in conjunction with local authorities. We saw recently that regional authorities play a bigger role than we give them credit for in terms of the adoption of county development plans. One could say the regional authority plan is sacrosanct...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I call for silence please. Government amendment No. 23: In page 13, paragraph (c), to delete lines 18 to 32 and substitute the following: "(c) by the insertion of the following paragraph after subsection (5)(a): "(aa) Following consideration of the proposed variation and the report of the manager under paragraph (a) where a planning authority, after considering a submission of, or observation...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: Amendments Nos. 28 and 29 are related and may be discussed together. Is that agreed? Agreed. Government amendment No. 28: In page 15, line 10, to delete "last made a local area plan" and substitute "last made that local area plan".

Seanad: Business of Seanad (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I intended to ask the exact same question as Senator White. Will all areas that have been previously zoned have to be revisited in every plan? I was of the opinion that once a decision was made on a zoning that it would remain in force. Does it mean that when councillors adopted a plan they would have to go through the plan again and reconsider all zonings? On the increase in population...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I do not want to hog this issue but if we were to believe what the Minister is telling us one would say there will be no change from the previous position. At the same time the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, has said on television and radio programmes that there will be major changes in planning laws and that he will control planning. The...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I believe the proposed amendments will create a great deal of red tape. I do not know how many towns have a population of approximately 5,000 people. Moreover, the Minister of State noted earlier that this legislation will not prohibit any local area plan from being put in place. Consequently, hundreds of local area plans may be produced. If local authorities prepare plans for hundreds of...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: Until several years ago the dual mandate was in place and provided a direct link between both Houses of the Oireachtas and local authorities. As Senator Coffey pointed out, this Bill very much involves the national spatial strategy. His amendment provides an ideal opportunity to have a link between local authorities' involvement with the strategy and the national Parliament. Such a link...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: All powers in the development process are being taken away from local authority members by the Bill. The Minister will have a direct hand in all the policies related to the national spatial strategy. Regional population targets will take effect with no variation for hubs and gateways. I will not labour the point but that is the nub of problem with the Bill. The Minister will refer to the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: Section 14 reads: "27A.--(1) Where a regional authority receives a notice from a planning authority under section 11(1) it shall prepare submissions or observations for the purposes of section 11(2)". In preparing these submissions will the regional authority hold public briefing sessions? Will it receive submissions from agencies other than the local authority? How will it prepare the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: The Minister of State has gone down the road a good bit in bringing clarity to this issue. According to him, the regional planning guidelines will be the linchpin for a strategy comprising local area plans, county development plans, regional authorities and the national spatial strategy all the way up to Government thinking. However, I am unsure as to the stage at which there will be public...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State's clarification to the effect that the guidelines will be introduced in the new year and that there will be a public consultation process thereon. However, will they constitute a fait accompli? Although there will be public consultation on the guidelines, there is no reference to their being amended. Local authorities will have an input in them and they will...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I thank the Minister of State. In fairness, he is putting his own interpretation on some of this. He spoke about the lower of the CSO figures, and I welcome what he said in that regard. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, would seem to suggest there is no movement away from the higher figures. I also welcome his statement that there will be...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brady. Senator Buttimer has five minutes remaining.

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: As this is the Labour Party's Private Members' time I call on Senator Prendergast.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I support Senator Coffey's amendment. It is important to have a timeframe because it is not possible to leave the matter open-ended. Senator Coffey makes a valid point about the timeframe and two weeks is a generous enough time.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the provision in the section for local authority members to make a submission to the Minister when he has issued a direction to the local authority in respect of its development plan. He has, however, taken on a serious power. He has the ultimate power in the adoption of a county development plan because if there are aspects of it that he does not like he can change the plan....