Results 2,161-2,180 of 6,937 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: If only every amendment could be as quick and successful.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 47: In page 40, to delete line 17. My amendment concerns rent pressure zones and short-term lets. Head 8 is about short-term lettings. When we discussed some issues related to this earlier in our meetings, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, told us that the measures aimed at regulating short-term lets would help address the problem of overconcentration of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Sure.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I do not have the figure to hand myself. Does Deputy Ó Broin wish to comment? No. The last information I had, which may well not be up to date, so I would appreciate an up-to-date figure, if it were available, is that there are 77 local electoral areas that are not rent pressure zones.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The figure may not be up to date. If the Minister of State were able to provide us with the up-to-date figure, that would be useful.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: An analysis was done of these local electoral areas that found that 62 had no chance of ever becoming a rent pressure zone. That is for technical reasons around the rent pressure zone legislation. It is not because there are not very high rent increases in these areas. It is the way the rent pressure zone regulations are written and what qualifies and does not qualify to become a rent...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State said my amendment is not necessary, so what is the purpose of section 8(4)(a)? What effect will that have on the regulation of short-term lettings?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: This section deals with short-term lettings. Section 8(2) states that the Minister may make regulations requiring such persons as are specified in the regulations to provide a planning authority with such information as may be so specified at such intervals as may be so specified with regard to short-term lettings in the functional area of the planning authority. Section 8(3) states that a...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: My amendment seeks to ensure that the section of the Bill which deals with short-term lettings will apply to short-term lettings outside rent pressure zones. If this is an objective that someone supports then my amendment is important and necessary. Perhaps the Government does not believe that short-term lettings outside rent pressure zones need to be regulated the same as short-term...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Can the Minister of State explain the inconsistency? Why is the Government, through other measures, considering the regulation of short-term letting outside rent pressure zones but not doing so in the Bill? There is an absolute inconsistency. The regulations that this Bill allows for treat areas within and outside rent pressure zones differently in terms of short-term lettings. What is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but section 8 does not include short-term lettings outside rent pressure zones for regulation. What is the rationale for this? Why is the Government taking a different approach in section 8 than it is elsewhere? Is it an oversight or is it deliberate? If it is deliberate, why?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: That is the rationale. I have put forward plenty of data on why it is absolutely necessary. I will certainly press this amendment. There has been no case put forward for the differentiation in approach under the Bill regarding the regulation of short-term lettings outside rent pressure zones. It is deeply unfair to communities affected by the lack of regulation that this section of the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: On amendment No. 54, the issue here is that the current wording in terms of EIA or appropriate assessment is fine but it does not cover all environmental issues. The amendment's wording would add "or where the activity may have a significant impact on the environment”. This would ensure compliance with the Aarhus Convention, Articles 6(1) and 6(1)b. With exempted development, the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is fine for the Minister to say the Bill has been checked for compliance with the Aarhus Convention. I accept his statement on that, but I am asking-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am just waiting for the Minister to finish, out of politeness.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: While I appreciate that the Bill overall has been looked at for compliance with the Aarhus Convention, there was not a specific assessment on that. I also appreciate that the Minister's view is that this is more than adequately covered. I asked specifically about areas where there could be a significant impact on the environment but an EIA or appropriate assessment is not required and...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: No. I will wait for the Minister’s response.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Just to be clear, what we are seeking with amendment No. 63 is for the Minister to have to consult on the regulations. Without our amendment, the Minister would not have to do that, although he can do it. Is that the case? There is nothing stopping the Minister doing it, but in order for it to have to happen, our amendment is required. Is that correct?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I have to agree with the Minister on that. It is why I was very careful when wording this amendment. I wrote, "Where the Minister proposes to make regulations under this section and considers that the proposed regulations are connected with or likely to relate to matters of interest to Prescribed Bodies, [this applies a curtailment to the requirement, so it is not wide open] the Minister...