Results 201-220 of 2,457 for speaker:John Cummins

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: Shortly.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: Shortly.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: Very shortly.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: Yes. As I said, I am opposing the amendment because I believe it will have a negative impact on the planning system. As I said in my initial comments as well, the housing growth requirements will be notified to local authorities very shortly. It is important to put in context the previous housing growth requirements at 30,000 units per annum. The national planning framework adopted by...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I know this is being welcomed by the Senator, but it is also important to say that the OPR is independent of the Department. It is also important to say there have been changes in the 2024 Act, which was debated in this Chamber. I was sitting on that side of the House last year in respect of the changes to the OPR in terms of the advisory board, which will be in place by the end of this...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: Amendments Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, as tabled by Senator Keogan, seek to delete sections 21 to 24, inclusive, of the Act of 2024, which relate to the national planning framework, NPF. I cannot accept these amendments as the NPF is provided for in the existing and new planning legislation and sits at the apex of the hierarchy of our statutory spatial development plans, the purpose of which is...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: Amendment No. 9 amends section 30 of the Act of 2024 to clarify the trigger for the first review of an existing regional spatial and economic strategy under the Act of 2024 and is necessary for the commencement of Part 3 of the Act of 2024. Section 31 currently provides that a regional assembly shall commence a review of the RSES not later than six months after the publication of a revised...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank all Senators for their engagement on this Bill. I acknowledge the contributions of Senators Flaherty, Boyhan, Murphy, Andrews, Stephenson, Higgins, Blaney and Rabbitte. We all recognise that it is important that developers use their permissions, whether for housing or energy projects, and important to encourage developers to act quickly on their consents. The Acts of 2000 and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Building Projects (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Helen McEntee. I thank the Senator for raising the matter of the status of a new school application for Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim. Scoil Mhuire is a co-educational school under Catholic patronage. As the Senator rightly pointed out, it is the result of an amalgamation in September...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Building Projects (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: The Department is fully aware of the needs of Scoil Mhuire and the local area and the application for a new school building. I assure the Senator that the application will be reviewed further following the outcome of the NDP allocation process. The Department acknowledges the ongoing discussions concerning a proposed new school building, which the Senator rightly pointed out. It will...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this important Commencement matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health. Heart failure is a complex condition that affects thousands of people in Ireland. Many people are unaware that they have heart failure, due to the gradual onset of symptoms, which are often mistaken for normal signs of ageing or attributed to other health...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I acknowledge that cardiovascular health is a central pillar of health funding as part of budget 2025, which included more than €9 million in full-year costs to support important cardiovascular health initiatives. The budget commits €4 million in additional full-year costs and 45 new posts to reform how we deliver cardiac services. Since 2020, the chronic disease management...

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to bring the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 before the House today. Members will recall the size of the Planning and Development Bill 2024, which was enacted last year. Many of us worked extensively on that legislation, both at the joint Oireachtas committee and in both Houses. While the implementation of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I will answer the Deputy's question. The Department has undertaken a wide review of exempted developments. All Departments have fed into that process. We have not had updated exempted development regulations for the past 25 years. As such, this is an extensive body of work and it is not only related to modular homes to the rear of a dwelling. It relates to all exempted development...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: It will be out for public consultation for a period of four weeks. We hope to go out in the next couple of weeks on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: We hope to have the exempted development regulations in place by the end of the year, yes.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Council (2 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Senator Noonan for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan. I acknowledge the Senator's contribution to the sector during his time as Minister of State with responsibility for nature, heritage and electoral reform. The Department is of course aware of the important commitment in the programme for Government to undertake a review...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Council (2 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Senator Noonan. Again, I acknowledge his work in this area. Notwithstanding that the council has been able to discharge its responsibilities very effectively in recent years, I agree, as I know the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan does, that the Heritage Act, and particularly the definition the Senator referenced on what heritage is, should be reviewed to bring its provisions...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: The zoning of land is an exercise undertaken by planning authorities as part of their development plan process. The making of a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of each planning authority who are required by legislation to be consistent with the established statutory national and regional planning policy and legislation, including, as identified in the national...