Results 2,281-2,300 of 6,937 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 need to respond to that. The Gaeltacht Act 2012 described the different areas and formally recognised the limistéir pleanála teanga Gaeltachta and also the bailte seirbhíse Gaeltachta and líonraí Gaeilge. They are all recognised and this amendment is not seeking to undo that in any way. It is referring to traditional settlement patterns in Gaeltacht areas. It...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister needs to consult his officials and I fully respect that. I want to speak on amendments Nos. 307, 316, 433, 502, 505, 508, 536, 540, 544, 548, 559 and 562. The Minister said he feels many of these amendments are far too prescriptive. The amendments are not prescriptive at all. All these amendments seek to do is to ensure the development plans are consistent with the relevant...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister said he has issues with definitions in my amendments. I ask him to expand on that. The definitions in this set of amendments, in so far as there are definitions, are straight out of Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012. Does the Minister not support the definitions in that legislation?

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Of course you do, yes.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I have the floor, thank you, Minister. These amendments are based on and come straight out of Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012, and they are looking for consistency with the definitions in that Act. I do not understand the Minister saying he has issues with the definitions when he has clarified he does not have issues with the definitions in the Act. If he could explain that more, that would be...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, just because were on a discussion of amendments relating to the OPR in this grouping. Some of these have been mentioned by the Minister but maybe not all of them. I want to talk to my amendments Nos. 511, 565, 1129 and 1131. Amendment No. 511 is about the assessment of a development plan variation by the Office of the Planning Regulator. What this amendment seeks to do is ensure...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Perhaps there have been some crossed wires here. The Minister is saying that Gaeltacht planning matters need to be channelled through a development plan and I do not disagree at all. Amendment No. 511 proposes that the assessment of development plan variation should be with the OPR. The OPR has this function. When this assessment of a development plan variation is being done by the OPR,...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: In the context of the scrutiny the Minister is undertaking, will he let me know which amendments in the grouping are mine? I did not catch that.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Should the correspondence not be sent to the Department of the Gaeltacht and other State bodies with responsibility for the protection and promotion of the language with respect to those areas?

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 point on this is where the correspondence goes. So that definition-----

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Does that definition on page 30 fully cover what is proposed in my amendments?

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.

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...