Results 2,341-2,360 of 6,937 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

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

Cian O'Callaghan: That will include specifically 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 include Gaeltacht areas even if they are not in rent pressure zones.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I will start on that point. I am interested in hearing the Minister of State’s thoughts on that as well. I think that is the best way. As the Minister of State will know, Údarás na Gaeltachta is already involved in the provision of some housing in Gaeltacht areas. If the Minister of State thinks the best route is to establish an approved housing body, then...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Does the Minister of State agree that planning authorities and the commission have a significant role in the decisions they make and how they go by their planning decisions, and that can impact Irish-language communities and Gaeltacht areas? If he agrees that they can, then clearly it would be important to have training for people in those areas, so they are aware of their obligations,...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: The issue is that a balance, or anything remotely like it, is not being achieved. That is the problem and it is undermining Gaeltacht areas. I gave the example earlier of a physiotherapist, who is just one of many people in that situation. I am not arguing that language should be the only consideration. It is just one of many considerations. I am saying that developments that could...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: On amendment No. 8 specifically and setting the competency in the language, which we spoke about previously, at the B2 level under the common European framework of reference for languages, the Minister of State has said that is the level of competency the Department is accepting and using. If that is what is being accepted and used at government level, why would we not put it into this...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: There is always a problem in Gaeltacht communities and other rural locations with holiday homes, but unregulated short-term lets have exacerbated that. There is now a whole category of people, who because of the income stream through short-term lets are able to afford to purchase holiday homes where they previously were not. It is exactly as Deputy Ó Snodaigh outlined. That creates a...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I want to comment on the group of amendments. I commend Deputy Matthews on introducing his amendments, whose thrust I strongly support. There is no question that there is an absolutely compelling case for sustainable public transport in planning and development. Building transport-oriented communities is what we should be doing. New housing developments, affordable housing and all other...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I appreciate the exchange so far. I would like to know why, on the public record, amendment No. 794 on providing for electric vehicle parking and charging systems and for centrally located sheltered secure bicycle and e-bike parking is not being accepted. The lack of provisions around the charging systems for electric vehicles is a live issue that is affecting people in communities across...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: To clarify, the Minister of State has not addressed amendments Nos. 136 and 410 yet. Are they being discussed later or shall I speak to them now?

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Has the Minister of State addressed amendments Nos. 136 and 410 in his opening contribution?

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

Cian O'Callaghan: He has not yet. Has he addressed amendment No. 201?

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

Cian O'Callaghan: No. I will speak on amendment No. 201 seeing as Deputy Ó Broin has, 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: I will speak to amendment No. 136, and also to amendment No. 201. On amendment No. 136 specifically, Ireland declared a biodiversity emergency in 2019. Given the habitat loss and fragmentations from the main drivers of biodiversity loss in Ireland, this should be an objective of the national planning framework alongside the other objectives here to protect, enhance and, indeed, restore our...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I welcome that. The real difficulty I have is that the time on Report Stage could be highly limited. We want to ask questions about, comment on and improve what the Minister of State comes forward with. It may simply be timed out on us. The Government usually guillotines Report Stage, which means there are only two, three or four hours when we need much longer. We probably will not even...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: I will keep this short. I have no issue if the Minister of State comes to Report Stage with measures to improve this Bill and these provisions to bring them into line with the national biodiversity action plan. That is great and I am very supportive of that. That does not mean that the wording I proposed cannot be adopted now. There is an absolute omission in the Bill. There are no...

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

Cian O'Callaghan: That was amendment No. 136, but I was also speaking to amendment No. 201, which is similar. It was mainly amendment No. 136, however.

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

Cian O'Callaghan: Will the Minister of State be back here at 6 p.m.?