Results 2,321-2,340 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: No, that is what I am saying. I am saying that based on what I have heard the Minister say, my understanding, and it is just my understanding so the Minister can contradict it if he wishes, as I am sure he will, is that we could have this table for the purposes of clarity and reference the relevant parts of the Bill in this table to address the concerns of the Attorney General. That would...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: It would be helpful to deal with what the Minister of State said now and then move onto the other subgroupings, if that is okay.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State is not covering amendment No. 8 in this grouping; he will cover that later.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: We will deal with amendment No. 8 later. That is fine. As Deputy Ó Broin said, if we had sight of those on future days, it would help everyone. On amendment Nos. 603 and 647, the Minister of State said what is proposed is not workable, proportionate, fair, reasonable or balanced and is overtly vague. What does the Government propose to do to address the issues we raised? If it does...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State did not respond to some of the points I made, so it would be good to get a response to some of those initial points. It is alarming that it seems to be the Government's view that section 46(2)(b), which is the status quo in legislation, is any way acceptable. Clearly, there is a complete planning failure with regard to Gaeltacht communities in what is happening right...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Could I comment?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I just want to respond to what the Minister of State said.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: We can let the Minister of State respond and then I will come back.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: On the linguistic impact statements and the guidelines that are going to come through, the draft guidelines will provide certainty on that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes. That is welcome. Will the guidelines be on Gaeltacht language planning areas only or will they also refer to towns within the Gaeltacht? That is covered in my amendment.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I understand the guidelines will primarily be about the limistéir pleanála teanga Gaeltachta but will the bailte seirbhíse Gaeltachta, the serviced towns within the Gaeltacht, be covered under this?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but there is an issue with linguistic impact statements if they are just being signed off by a builder and they are ticking the box and saying this is going to help the language in the area or whatever else. Is that aspect going to be addressed in the guidelines that are issued? In amendment No. 603 we refer to a language impact statement being prepared by an independent expert. Is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: When are we expecting the draft guidelines to be issued?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State responded to the issue I raised about Gaeltacht areas. We see estates of relatively new-build homes in Gaeltacht areas, which presumably were given planning to try to help to meet the needs of the local community, but they are predominantly if not exclusively holiday homes. Of course they can be holiday homes for Irish-language speakers from other parts of the country...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes. However, this Bill refers to measures to regulate short-term lets, which directly impact on Gaeltacht communities. I gave an example of an Irish-language speaking physiotherapist who sees hundreds of short-term lets in the An Spidéal area while living out of a van and working in the local HSE clinic. An Spidéal is not a rent pressure zone. This Bill mentions regulation of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Not specifically. The Minister of State brought in that, in his response.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I was questioning his response because it is not actually applicable to what I was raising. That was the point I was making. We can deal with amendment No. 47 later. It is not in this group.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but the Minister of State might want to speak to it. I was asking whether he has another response on the issue of how this is affecting Gaeltacht areas. Amendment No. 47 is more general. It is not about Gaeltacht areas. The Minister was saying that short-term let regulation is going to sort out these problems of empty vacant homes in Gaeltacht areas.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: However, it will not work in Gaeltacht areas that are not in RPZs, and the Bill specifically does not include them. Does the Minister of State have another way he is proposing to deal with this problem of empty holiday homes in Gaeltacht areas that are creating problems for Irish language speakers and Gaeltacht communities?