Results 5,061-5,080 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: I come to my slot now. We have three people wishing to speak and about 18 minutes left. I will be really strict with everybody. The Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, produced a report on the 146 judicial reviews and various outcomes - quashed, permitted, upheld. In how many of those 146 decisions would there have been a different outcome, had section 249 been in place? Has anybody...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: It certainly is. I can give one small example. Community Gardens Ireland contacted all of us over the weekend because a provision for the local authority development plan objectives to designate or identify places for allotments and community gardens was completely missed in this draft. It may not impact anybody present, but it does affect people who want community gardens and allotments....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: What about Wind Energy Ireland?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: We asked that question of departmental officials last week and they said the Department is producing it. Given that it has so much skin in the game, has Wind Energy Ireland had an opportunity to do that or is it dependent on the Department to produce that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: We recently discussed land value sharing, urban development zones which will probably replace strategic development zones. We have the general scheme which was produced a while ago. I ask the witnesses to give their views on land value sharing. I know we talked about all the different costs of costs on construction. We did not get the development costs. Does Dr. Duffy or Mr. Moran have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: Does Mr. O'Connell wish to respond to that? It was his figure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: We know An Bord Pleanála is understaffed and under-resourced. We know the complexities of environmental law and European directives. It may be the decision-making process because of pressures was not as good as it should have been and some of them ended up in judicial review. That could be a factor in that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: As I said the last day, I cannot believe that An Bord Pleanála is functioning with only 200 staff. It is incredible that it has managed to get this far with only 200 staff. It should be double that. If it did have that, we would arguably not be dealing with many of these delays or judicial review cases.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: We have covered some of this already.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thought there was still scope to make a decision on material contravention of the development plan within a limited scope.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is what Mr. Farrell said - within limited scope.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: A limited scope may be defined as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. O'Connell. I will go to Wind Energy Ireland. Someone made the suggestion that the regulations will have a big impact here as well as the transitional arrangements.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: Mr. Spain was finishing the answers to the questions in the previous round. He may continue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank the witnesses for their time and assistance to the committee. This has been very helpful for us. Towards the end of March, we will produce a report with recommendations. We will send the witnesses a copy of and submit it to the Minister for him to produce the next iteration of this Bill. I thank everybody.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, and his officials, Mr. Alan Moore and Mr. Niall Finan of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, biodiversity policy unit, to the committee. This meeting has been convened to consider the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Minister of State. I will go to Deputy Higgins first.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Higgins suggestion is a good one. We did that in the past year when we received updates from the Minister of State on planning and local government issues. We were also given updates by the relevant Ministers and Ministers of State on heritage, electoral reform and housing. However, we have a very heavy agenda. I will take the Deputy’s suggestion on board and try to work it...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy Ó Broin. We now move to the Green Party slot, which I will take. First, I thank the Minister of State for bringing this matter to us. I understand that it dates back to 2010 and is something that has probably not been prioritised or high on the agenda. It is very important that the Minister of State has resurrected this issue and brought it here to us today, and that...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Nagoya Protocol: Motion (19 Jan 2023)

Steven Matthews: Very good. This would also fit very well with our sustainable development goals. The position has been clarified. I thank the Minister of State and Mr. Moore for that information. I call Deputy O’Callaghan.