Results 8,681-8,700 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Deputy O'Callaghan, allow me to make a suggestion. With the agreement of the committee, we will go into private session for a moment to allow the officials to clarify this. I am having difficulty understanding it as well.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I ask the Minister of State to clarify the previous point.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is a good question. Representatives from the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, will appear before the committee in a couple of weeks. It would be a good question to put to them. Do they account for that, audit it or even ask about it?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is another one we can add to the list.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: It gets 12 weeks then with an environmental impact assessment.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I do not see any further indication there now so I will put the question now. The question is that the new section be agreed to.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: The next amendment is part of a grouping and, given that it is almost 6 p.m., I suggest we finish here for now. In terms of a progress update, my tallies tell me that we have spoken to 1,008 or 1,009 amendments so far. We have completed 158 sections and have had around 350 votes at this stage, so well done everybody.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Land Issues (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I want to discuss the issue of public rights of way in the country. I expect this is a matter for the Department of Justice but I nonetheless want to thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for being here tonight to take this issue. The background to me raising this, apart from having some experience in dealing with rights of way issues where we have tried to include them in county...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Land Issues (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Minister of State for the response. Having spent nine weeks and 126 hours so far in the basement dealing with the new Planning and Developing Bill, I believe that many of those sections referred to by the Minster of State will no longer be relevant because of the new section numbers of the Bill. I take the Minister of State's point on this. I have been through county...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: 296. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to a decision (details supplied); the actions she will take to ensure that this issue is rectified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16131/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: 725. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the urgency in providing funding for a building in Newtownmountkennedy (details supplied); if he is concerned that the existing accommodation is unsuitable; the actions he will take to ensure this project proceeds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16501/24]

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I welcome everybody to the meeting. We are here to continue our Committee Stage deliberations on the Planning and Development Bill 2023. I take the opportunity to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, and to congratulate him on his appointment. I wish him the very best of luck with that. Before we finished last week, I gave a rough estimate of how many amendments we have...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I move amendment No. 774: In page 297, line 34, after "application" to insert "with a deduction for planning services administrative fee, as prescribed". I will speak to my amendments here. I am somewhat in agreement with Deputy Ó Broin. I have often felt that the fees for planning applications do not reflect the significant amount of work that goes in at local authority level, the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: Amendment No. 1145 relates to section 503. If only we were on page 649. Section 503 is on the fees payable to planning authorities. On a similar point to that raised by Deputy Ó Broin, I really feel we need to increase planning fees to value the complex work that is done. That is the subject of my amendment No. 1145. I am not entirely sure of the process that is to be followed in...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: To clarify, the administrative burden of returning partial fees would outweigh the administrative burden of just invalidating them and sending it on.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I accept that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: May I respond on that one? I am in no way suggesting that the fee associated with observations be included because that is a really important part of the planning process. The fee for a submission to the local authority sits at €20 while the fee for an observation to the board sits at €50. This amendment is not designed to increase those fees in any way. We have had...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am happy with that. Amendment No. 1146 is next. It and amendment No. 1147 are very similar.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: I will come back on those-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Steven Matthews: We probably have a couple of minutes before we need to go up.