Results 1,141-1,160 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Cussen. I have to interrupt as we are up to seven minutes on that. Eplanning is important. I have put down questions on it to try to get an overall eplanning system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: That is right. It is my turn to ask questions. How does Mr. Cussen's office issue recommendations and directions that then come from the Minister? I have been at council meetings, as many of us probably have, where the Department, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, the National Transport Authority, NTA, the chief executive or the senior planners may be advising councillors not to adopt...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: Mr. Cussen would make a recommendation to the Minister based on national guidelines that a particular amendment or objective does not comply. It is up to the Minister then to decide whether to issue a directive.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: Is the Minister's assessment of Mr. Cussen's recommendation stating that the Minister has assessed this recommendation from the OPR and disagrees with it and will not issue a directive available publicly?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Cussen. I ask about resources for planning services throughout the country. We talk about the importance of the three stages - the forward planning, the consent process and the enforcement process. Is it Mr. Cussen's view that the planning services throughout local authorities are well enough resourced? It is my view that enforcement is always the poor relation when it comes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Cussen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: There are two minutes left in the slot if Ms O'Connor wishes to comment on the direct question on Dún Laoghaire.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry but I have to interrupt. We are well over time on the slot. We will return to density and design if we get a chance.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: Senator Cummins has exactly 30 seconds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Cussen. It is a subject we could spend a great deal of time discussing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: Urban and rural planning and consolidation of towns, instead of a spread, is probably the answer in that regard. The third Fianna Fáil slot is available now. I call Senator Malcolm Byrne to come back in, and he might get a chance to elaborate on that urban-rural question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Cussens and Ms O'Connor. We could easily go around the table for another two hours of questions on planning. Many of those questions have not yet had a chance of being asked. We would probably look for another session with the regulator in the future, possibly after its annual report is published.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Engagement with the Office of the Planning Regulator (4 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I will finish on a density question, it is not about density for density's sake. When one gets density right one can provide services, and that is often public transport. We need to take into account carbon emissions from car-based sprawl that we have had over the last 40 to 60 years, when we just planned for the car. We have to rejig our thinking around that.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (5 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: 145. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the basis for microgeneration not being included in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, a concept previously referenced in the Climate Action Plan 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22805/21]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (5 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: 159. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding a previous commitment that if implemented would allow asylum seekers to apply for Irish driver licenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22953/21]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (5 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: 321. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position regarding the Departmental working group that was set up to investigate potential amendments to building regulations to require changing places (details supplied) in suitable public buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23213/21]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Guidelines (5 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: 322. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position regarding the roll-out of a nationwide e-planning system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23214/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Report of the Covid-19 Rapid Testing Group: Discussion with Science Foundation Ireland (5 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: I want to go back to what Professor Ferguson said at the outset about the SAGE report and the testing being carried out in the UK. Is the UK carrying out that testing at the moment and could we learn from any mistakes, or what it is doing at the moment, rather than proceeding straightaway to a pilot? Is that a more effective way of assessing whether serial testing would work? Is Professor...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Report of the Covid-19 Rapid Testing Group: Discussion with Science Foundation Ireland (5 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: The committee should try to pursue the matter of the authorities here working in tandem with their UK counterparts. I do not imagine things would be that different, logistically or behaviourally.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care Services (11 May 2021)

Steven Matthews: 798. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing closure of HSE day services and respite services for those in need of round-the-clock care and the damaging impact it is having on their carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24150/21]