Results 2,261-2,280 of 6,904 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I am just saying that given this section of the Bill is not guidelines but is a prescriptive list -----

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

Cian O'Callaghan: ----- that the way to address this would be on Report Stage through an amendment. It does not make sense to have a prescriptive list in legislation and then the bits about the Irish language are dealt with elsewhere and not in the guidelines.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: But we have a prescriptive list in legislation.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but the prescriptive wording in the legislation about where the functional area of the planning authority includes the Gaeltacht area, Údarás na Gaeltachta. My amendments, for instance, include putting in the Department of the Gaeltacht.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: My understanding is that An Taisce has a unique role as a prescribed body and was given a kind of special status as-----

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, so while it is not a State body, it was recognised as having that special role because the State does not have a National Trust kind of State body. An Taisce is fulfilling that role. That is a conversation for another day. My group of amendments were only looking for the Department and State bodies to be in the prescribed lists, the Minister will be happy to know. When the Minister...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister for pointing me to the definition of "Gaeltacht" on page 30. That reinforces the point I made as the definition of a Gaeltacht is "a Gaeltacht area within the meaning of the Gaeltacht Act 2012" which refers to Gaeltacht areas in existence before 2012. Also listed in the definitions is "a Gaeltacht language planning area". My amendments seek to include the bailte...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I will wait a moment as the Minister is in conversation with his officials.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister. I will speak to those amendments. Amendment No. 440, for example, is about the notice of intention to review a development plan in preparation of a development plan. Other amendments relate to making a development plan and variation of a development plan and concern the correspondence to be sent and discussed. I am seeking to update the language in the Bill such that...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I appreciate the Minister’s response but the legislation is quite prescriptive as it is and this is not covered in regulations. It is quite clear. Planning authority should give a copy of a notice under subsection (12) and then lists who gets it. My amendments are trying to make sure the prescriptive legislation is effectively correct in it prescribes-----

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

Cian O'Callaghan: My amendments are Nos. 368, 894 and 899. Amendment No. 894 is about housing strategy. It seeks to ensure that housing strategy in Gaeltacht communities would have regard to the need to protect the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht communities. It is an absolute disaster in terms of planning when we have a physiotherapist living out of a van in a...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I will come in on my amendments Nos. 343, 351 and 385. I will start on amendment No. 385 because it is almost similar to the ones we were discussing. This is an amendment to delete the wording on Gaeltacht areas and replace it with more up-to-date language reflecting Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012, which sets out the structure for the language planning process and redefines the Gaeltacht as was...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Specifically on amendment No. 351, in my name and related to the obligation to prepare a strategy on economic development, the Minister has referred us to the obligation to prepare a strategy related to the creation, improvement and preservation of sustainable places and communities. Section 46(2)(b), which refers to the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage, including the...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I appreciate that every area will have an economic development but the point is that for the Gaeltacht areas to thrive, the economic development plan for the whole local authority area will need to take into account the needs of that Gaeltacht community in respect of protection of the language and linguistical cultural heritage. That is not arguing for a piecemeal approach or anything like...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: To clarify, I have not discussed amendment No. 390. Was it included in one of the groups the Ministers put forward? Perhaps I missed it.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I know. I am indicating to the Chair that after speaking to amendment No. 430, I wish to speak to amendment No. 390.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: We will deal with amendment No. 430 first.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Amendment No. 430 concerns consultation with the Office of the Planning Regulator before preparation of a development plan. There are wider issues in that regard we will discuss elsewhere. I have concerns about those provisions in the Bill. However, specifically on amendment No. 430, it simply seeks that development plans be consistent with language plans, as we discussed. We have gone...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Amendment No. 390 outlines a specific Gaeltacht housing and population strategy as necessary to tackle the Gaeltacht housing emergency, and that population housing objectives for the Gaeltacht need to be identified to ensure that these communities thrive. It is to insert an obligation to prepare Gaeltacht housing population development strategies, where the planning authority's functional...