Results 11,361-11,380 of 15,092 for speaker:Eoin Ó Broin

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Absolutely not. It is a very good organisation. It is just to understand the logic of why some are in and some are out. I understand why An Taisce is in; it is because it is prescribed in legislation.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: There are four clusters.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: It is a really helpful way of doing it.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: This is really helpful because each day we have been trying to work our way to what is the most efficient way without asking-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Here is the question. We have 63 groupings to get through over whatever period of time. Some of them are quite small groupings but where some of them are larger, if there are clusters, if we knew in advance from the officials to the Cathaoirleach how the Minister was clustering them, we could be a little bit more prepared when we come in. It would be really helpful.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Absolutely.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Will the Minister of State explain amendment No. 581?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: This is a minor point, and I am saying this because we will come back to it. The phrase "shall have regard to" is one of the weakest formulations used in the legislation. There is a real dichotomy throughout the Bill, which is that where the Government really wants something to happen, it is stated that it must comply with or must substantially or materially comply with something. When it...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Sure.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: That is quite a different proposition from what has happened in recent times in the unusual extension of development plans for very good reasons such as the merging of two local authorities. South Dublin County Council was in the first tranche of councils to recently agree a development plan. That was in the last 12 to 18 months. Given that we are moving to ten-year plans and that the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Are we saying that, in the transition from the existing development plans to the ten-year plans under this Bill, the duration of quite a lot of development plans could be extended?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Will the Minister of State explain his point?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: We are not talking about the larger local authorities that have agreed their new development plans but about the small number that have yet to do so.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Instead of completing the development plan review they have under way and into which they put blood, sweat and tears, their existing plans would be extended and their new plans would form the first generation of the ten-year plans. Is that correct?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Let us take Donegal and Sligo, for example. If their plans are coming to an end and they have reviews under way but those reviews are not going to be completed before the enactment of the relevant sections of the new Bill, those plans will be extended. I have two questions.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have not got to the questions yet. What is the process by which such an extension would take place? Do local authority members or the manager request an extension? That is the first question.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: It is a two-part question. First, what is the process? The amendment does not say. Second, there are legal and EU environmental obligations as regards strategic environmental assessments and the Aarhus Convention. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan mentioned public participation. If these plans are to be extended, not only is it not clear from the amendment what the process is, who requests that...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Does that include requirements under the relative directives on public participation and Aarhus compliance?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: On the first part of my question, there is no mention of the local authority, elected members or the manager or chief executive. Is this something a Minister could impose unilaterally on those local authorities? Is that the intention? Clearly, local authorities will be talking about it. Is there to be dialogue?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: They had a different view when they came in for prelegislative scrutiny of this Bill but we will tackle that when we get to their sections.