Results 9,641-9,660 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Planning and Development (An Taisce) Bill 2024: Second Stage [Private Members] (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Allegations of corruption now.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: From the Seanad (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Amendments Nos. 20 and 21 are important additions to the Bill. We had lengthy discussions about what used to be called a section 5 declaration and will now come under section 10 of this Bill. The amendments will extend the ability of environmental NGOs or bodies that have constitutions setting out to protect the environment and so on, and that is an important addition to make here. Some...

Planning and Development Bill 2023: From the Seanad (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I wish to speak to amendment No. 31. I welcome this amendment by the Minister. It arose through discussions on Committee Stage and various other Stages of the Bill, where we set down a definition of "transport infrastructure". To avoid any doubt, because transport infrastructure is also mentioned in Schedule 1, paragraph 2, "Transport Infrastructure", which relates to very large transport...

Planning and Development Bill 2023: From the Seanad (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: To which amendment is Deputy Boyd Barrett speaking?

Planning and Development Bill 2023: From the Seanad (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Speak to the group of amendments.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: From the Seanad (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: We are now both wasting time.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: From the Seanad (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Boyd Barrett must speak to the grouping of amendments.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: From the Seanad (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is about rights of way for the public.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I join Deputy Smith in welcoming Deputy Farrell on his appointment to the role of Cathaoirleach. He has made many contributions to the committee over the years so he is very well suited to take up the chair. I acknowledge the work Senator Horkan and Deputy Carey did beforehand. I welcome Mr. Meade and Mr. Kenny to the committee again. They are always very willing to come in and engage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: The answer to when do we do it is that we start doing it now. There is no better time than now to do it. The situation is not going to get any better. The all-Ireland strategy is good because it does not just talk about running more trains or increasing frequency. It also refers to providing the matching infrastructure that is needed to do that. We cannot just keep cramming trains on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is good to know. We talked about electrification. DART+ will nearly treble the capacity of the current electrified system. Where we bring the battery trains in the electric fleet onto the high-frequency lines, they have much better acceleration capacity and braking capacity. We can get more fleet in and more services operating. Even setting aside the efficiency of electric units in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I was kind of enjoying them. I was hoping you would keep going.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I have a final question to ask which is to do with Wicklow. The DART extension to Wicklow town, including a stop at Kilcoole, was included in the National Transport Authority's greater Dublin area strategy two or three years ago. Work is ongoing on design of that extension. Could Mr. Meade give me an update today on how work is progressing on the DART extension to Wicklow town?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann (9 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Thank you, that is all from me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: The witnesses are welcome to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We meet today to discuss the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024. I am delighted to welcome the following witnesses from the Irish Council for Social Housing: Dr. Donal McManus, chief executive officer; Ms Ailbhe McLoughlin, director of policy; and Ms Lyndsey Anderson,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Perfect. That is great. There is one hour and a quarter set aside for this meeting. I invite Ms McLoughlin to make the opening statement. We will then turn to members for questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms McLoughlin. For the witnesses' information, we waived pre-legislative scrutiny because we are fully aware of the time sensitivity of this legislation, as they outlined. However, we held a briefing with the Department, so we are familiar with aspects of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Like Deputy Gould, I have learned more about AHBs at meetings of this committee in the past four or five years than I ever knew before. Therefore, it is really helpful that the guests come here and share their expertise with us. Could someone explain deemed-to-be-registered status to me. It is from the 2019 Act. Why have we reached a point that involves the possibility of losing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: The description indicated the sole purpose of AHBs was the delivery or provision of housing, whereas many AHBs have ancillary activities. The ancillary activities were pushing AHBs out of deemed-to-be-registered status because their sole purpose was not purely to provide housing. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Yes. That verbatim description was set out in the 2019 Act. What change has there been? Has somebody suddenly noticed that some AHBs have activities other than the provision of housing and now fall foul of the Act? Is that generally where we are at?