Results 2,461-2,480 of 7,154 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Yes, but we have a sweeping power now in this Bill that had a form of safeguard in 2000 but that is now gone.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: It is a sweeping power. These are planning matters and this is a planning Bill. We had an incredibly expensive tribunal looking into planning matters and one of its recommendations and conclusions was that there was too much centralised power in the hands of the Minister but since then things have only gotten worse. This Bill makes it worse again and gives the Minister sweeping powers to...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I appreciate that but the appropriate thing to do in legislation is to provide safeguards. The safeguards around this that were in the 2000 Act are being removed and that is the issue.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 39: In page 38, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(4) The Minister shall facilitate effective public participation at an appropriate stage, and while options are still open, during the preparation of regulations which may have a significant effect on the environment, and shall take the following steps: (a) set time-frames sufficient for...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The Minister of State indicated that the amendments about scheduling specific times was an issue. Is he saying that he is happy with the principle of the amendment that there should be debates, and more flexible language around the timing of those debates and for how long they are scheduled would be acceptable?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: This is Deputy Ó Broin's amendment but I would certainly welcome the Minister of State doing that. We should be well beyond putting in that planning authorities may put in conditions that might address it.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: For my own part, I think this is an excellent amendment and I am very supportive of it. The national planning framework is highly significant. The idea that it would not be debated, discussed and scrutinised thoroughly and then subject to a vote of the Oireachtas just does not make any sense to me on any level. As I said before, one of the really disturbing parts of this Bill is that there...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I suggest that we deal first with amendment No. 129 from Deputy Matthews. This will allow him to resume the Chair and me to contribute to the debate on my amendments.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Does the Minister of State want to respond specifically on amendment No. 129?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: To follow on from that, the development plan process at local government level is one of the most extensive parts of the democratic process. This applies in terms of the public consultation element of the development plans and, certainly, in terms of the meetings over many hours and weeks, and the multiple stages where councillors are involved, with thousands of amendments and a huge amount...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I do not accept the view that has been genuinely put forward by the Minister of State that this is a very democratic process. A consultation process is no substitute for a democratic process.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: In the context of a development plan, a democratic process involves public consultation where everyone can put in their views, councillors tabling amendments, debates and votes on all of those amendments and full scrutiny of every aspect of the development plan. This would happen across multiple stages over the course of more than a year. Having a consultation process whereby the only...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 41: In page 38, to delete lines 25 to 31 and substitute the following: "(5) Where regulations or an order are proposed to be made under— (a) Part 3- Plans, Policies and related Matters, (b) Part 4- Development Consents, (c) Part 6- Environmental Assessment, (d) Part 7- Housing Strategy and Supply (e) Part 8- Miscellaneous powers of Planning Authorities...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 42: In page 38, to delete lines 32 to 40.