Results 1,161-1,180 of 2,180 for speaker:John Cummins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

John Cummins: I am not talking about any application.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

John Cummins: Where is that reflected?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

John Cummins: Yes. At the same time, I appreciate that if we were applying for a development in a location now, we would require it to be X,Y and Z. The reality is that these developments are in existence, which, rightly or wrongly, are occupied as permanent residences. I am not speaking about any particular development. I am sure this is reflected across all coastal communities. If the owners of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

John Cummins: I ask the officials to take that away to perhaps ensure it can be captured in the Bill. From Mr. Hogan's response, I appreciate it probably can under exempted developments. I ask that it be taken as a piece of work. I appreciate the services issue but whether different people or the same people are residing in a particular dwelling 52 weeks of the year, it has the same demands on services.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (15 Feb 2023)

John Cummins: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. This is an important matter. It calls on the Minister for Education to introduce a voluntary national post-primary redeployment panel which would facilitate the transfer of teachers from one area of the country to another while retaining their permanent status under contracts of indefinite duration, CIDs. As someone who taught in an...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (15 Feb 2023)

John Cummins: I appreciate the Minister of State is only relaying the information he has been given. He made comments in respect of the operation of the pilot voluntary redeployment scheme, which is fantastic for counties Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly, but what about every other county in the country? There are teachers in those areas who want to get closer to home and if there is a matching...

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

John Cummins: I apologise for not being present at the start but I was listening to the meeting in the car while travelling so I did hear all of the opening statements. I am not sure who made the comment about our international reputation and the difficulty in that regard. If the community outside of Ireland perceives it to have a problem and delay in terms of planning, then we have a big problem. We...

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

John Cummins: Does Mr. Farrell have no opinion in regard to what that would be? We have to make recommendations, as a committee, so we want to very much reflect what-----

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

John Cummins: Correct. That is the problem. Is 24 weeks or 26 weeks the appropriate time? I am conscious I have to get to the other organisations.

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

John Cummins: I ask for a comment from Property Industry Ireland.

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

John Cummins: I ask for the comments of Wind Energy Ireland and the Construction Industry Federation.

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

John Cummins: We have teased out many of the planning issues. One of the issues that is being raised in particular is the viability of apartment development. I wish to tease that out with the witnesses. There has been a flight in the private rented sector, but that presents an opportunity as well were the State to step into that space. These developments were designed and the finance model in place...

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

John Cummins: The advantage the sector has in the context of a turnkey social development, let us say, is that one has the knowledge that the entire development is, in essence, fully sold at the end of the process and that gives the sector confidence to build its interest rates in terms of finance, which would probably reduce from 15% to 6%. The witnesses can correct me on the figures but I am offering a...

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

John Cummins: A difficulty for members of the witnesses' organisations in the context of the cost rental piece is that they are dealing with AHBs predominantly, as well as the LDA in terms of Project Tosaigh. Is there space for cost rental development to be provided by the private sector - there is provision for that in the legislation - or are the witnesses happy with their engagement in collaboration...

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

John Cummins: I wish to return to the previous point about unlocking the existing planning permissions. Is it prefunding or would it be sufficient that the State guarantees the backstop, as Mr. Kelleher mentioned in his previous comments? Is it prefunding that the State is involved in financing or would it be enough if there is a backstop there that developers can garner their own finance because they...

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

John Cummins: So, an expanded Project Tosaigh, in essence, is sufficient.

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

John Cummins: What additional changes are required to unlock these existing permissions?

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

John Cummins: Particularly in the urban centres, existing permissions are already in place. Given the comparison Mr. Moran gave about the sizes that we are talking about here, there is a great opportunity for these developments to be unlocked for cost-rental, which would be very advantageous for the State. It is disappointing that there has been a retreat in terms of the private rented sector. There is...

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

John Cummins: What I am trying to garner from the witnesses is the design or construct of that because it would be hugely useful if we could tease that out and this is an opportunity now that we have them in the room. There is an opportunity as a result of the retreat from the private rented sector.

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

John Cummins: I know it is a submission to the Department but as committee members we would be very interested.