Results 4,781-4,800 of 7,200 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I am just waiting for the Minister to finish, out of politeness.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: While I appreciate that the Bill overall has been looked at for compliance with the Aarhus Convention, there was not a specific assessment on that. I also appreciate that the Minister's view is that this is more than adequately covered. I asked specifically about areas where there could be a significant impact on the environment but an EIA or appropriate assessment is not required and...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: No. I will wait for the Minister’s response.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Just to be clear, what we are seeking with amendment No. 63 is for the Minister to have to consult on the regulations. Without our amendment, the Minister would not have to do that, although he can do it. Is that the case? There is nothing stopping the Minister doing it, but in order for it to have to happen, our amendment is required. Is that correct?

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I have to agree with the Minister on that. It is why I was very careful when wording this amendment. I wrote, "Where the Minister proposes to make regulations under this section and considers that the proposed regulations are connected with or likely to relate to matters of interest to Prescribed Bodies, [this applies a curtailment to the requirement, so it is not wide open] 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 move amendment No. 41: In page 38, to delete lines 25 to 31 and substitute the following: "(5) Where regulations or an order are proposed to be made under— (a) Part 3- Plans, Policies and related Matters, (b) Part 4- Development Consents, (c) Part 6- Environmental Assessment, (d) Part 7- Housing Strategy and Supply (e) Part 8- Miscellaneous powers of Planning Authorities...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 42: In page 38, to delete lines 32 to 40.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I wish to speak in support of this amendment. I have also submitted amendments on some topics in the Bill, which will be dealt with later. I will also ask about two specific parts of the Bill. On the issue of land value sharing tax, when we engaged with the Department on this, we were told it might be incorporated into this Bill. Clearly, that did not happen. What are the plans and...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: On the issue of embodied carbon and the need to have whole-life carbon limits, the Minister of State said this is not directly related to the Bill and that it is highly complex. I would not take that view; I think this is a planning issue. What is happening now in the planning system is applicants are looking for planning permission, and not only is there no limit on the embodied carbon as...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: The expert report on Traveller accommodation was a cross-party report and there was consensus on it. It is a real missed opportunity not to incorporate those recommendations on the planning side into this Bill. It is five years later so you would expect the Government to incorporate them into this planning Bill, even at this late stage. It had five years to take them on board and work with...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: That would be helpful and would be a small step in the right direction but in my view what is required is much more than that. Some planning authorities might put in conditions around a requirement that in all construction projects the embodied carbon is measured, that there are carbon budgets and limits are set. We need to be moving towards that fast. The current plan is to have it...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I will follow up on some of the points raised there. Yesterday, the Minister was telling us that if the infrastructure is not in place, planning permission can be refused if this passes. Deputy Matthews was making the point that infrastructure is not just water and wastewater infrastructure. It is also about what is needed to support communities to thrive, including things like school...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: My second question is that given that overzoning took place, particularly in some of the counties that surround Dublin, is there a risk with this amendment that with that amount of zoned land - and Deputy Matthews outlined how a lot of it is still zones where there was overzoning - it runs the risk of housing being built out in the further to reach areas first where costs are lower and not...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Fair enough but it is relevant to this, which is why I raised it.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: As Deputy McAuliffe is not here, he cannot ask questions about his amendment.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I do not expect the Minister to be able to respond.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Sure, yes.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: On amendment No. 723, I will raise the issue that there is a finding of the Aarhus Convention compliance committee against Ireland in extension of durations under section 42, given failure to provide for public participation. In terms of all of Chapter 5 and indeed Part 4, I have concerns around Aarhus Convention compliance.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: There we go. We are on Deputy McAuliffe's amendment.