Results 3,141-3,160 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: As regards the notice, people can debate that in terms of the processes of the Houses but the whole idea of putting it in here is to do exactly what Senator Grace O'Sullivan is after saying, namely, it gets the recognition of the importance that plan will have. It is putting into legislation the role of both of these Houses and the role Senators will have in that. That consultation has to...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I can absolutely provide that assurance. That is exactly what it is and this legislation is copper-fastening that assurance. Apart from my word it is in legislation but that is exactly what we want to do and have as many people as we possibly can involved in this public consultation because there are not enough people taking an interest in it.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I am conscious that some Members might have missed the debate earlier. The idea behind the amendments is to recognise the importance of marine spatial planning and that we are putting together a national plan. I am conscious that the Senator might have missed the earlier discussion, but that is exactly what we are doing. We are putting in place a process such that in the coming two years...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I am sorry that the day in question did not suit the Senator.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: That is fine, but there was considerable discussion in this Chamber, as well as in the Dáil and throughout the country, on the national planning framework. I travelled to meeting after meeting throughout the country and it passed through seven or eight committees. There was a great deal of consultation. The Houses of the Oireachtas gave powers to the committee to finalise the report...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: Perhaps if the Senator attended some of the debates in the House, he might receive feedback.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I am referring to my job, which is to answer to Senators in the House.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I have been in this House on many occasions to do so. There has been no shortage of opportunities to discuss the national planning framework and I have been happy to do so. The difficulty lies where we disagree. I accept that the House disagrees. Senator Fintan Warfield had a reasonable motion seeking a final vote in the Houses. We disagree on that aspect because I believe strongly as a...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I have no problem with it whatsoever because we want involvement. It is a national marine strategy. This legislation gives the process a legal footing, as well as importance. It is exactly as Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill said about recognising the importance of a national planning framework and a marine strategy. We should recognise that they are equal and equally important, which is...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I am not sure whether procedures allow us to recommit. If they do, I would have no objection. We could then have a discussion - there is probably a timeline for after this Stage's conclusion - on this and tease through the benefits of our strategy and what we are trying to do. If people wanted to table amendments in that context, it would be up to them. I am unsure as to whether we can...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I would commit to having this discussion on Committee Stage if that is what Senator Humphreys wanted.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: Our time would be best spent on getting the actual strategy in place. We must focus our minds on that.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: By inserting marine spatial planning into this Bill, the House would be giving it importance and allowing us to implement the strategy afterwards. Senators would be saying that marine spatial planning belongs in a planning and development Bill. As Senators will appreciate, there was considerable difficulty in January, February or whenever it was. We were introducing a planning framework,...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: I do not see how. It would not be necessary. Apart from that, I could not tell the Senator when such a Bill would be before the House. A lot of work has been done on this Bill so far. We felt that the best way to give marine spatial planning the recognition it needed was to include it in this Bill. By doing so, it is placed in parallel with the national planning framework, which is...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: This grouping proposes minor amendments to sections 31AA and 31AC of the Bill to provide that the staff of the office will be civil servants in the Civil Service of the State. Under section 31AI, the Minister may provide services and resources to the office. It envisages that staff may be seconded on a temporary or permanent basis to the office and that premises, equipment and other...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: These amendments will amend sections 10, 12, 13, 20, 28 and 31 of the principal Act as well as sections 31AL, 31AM, 31AN, 31AP and 31AR of the Bill.The amendments to the above sections of the principal Act, including amendments to the current Planning and Development Bill 2016, as already passed on Committee Stage in the Seanad, are proposed to strengthen the provisions in the principal Act...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: On a point of order. Senator Grace O'Sullivan proposed the amendment in good faith. I think she has just gone for a short break. If you want to call a quorum, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, I think she will have time to come back. In fact, here she comes now.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: Amendment No. 20 seeks to define the satisfactory completion of a development and link compliance with the building regulations into the planning system.Amendment No. 36 seeks to make the application of this definition mandatory in all cases of developments of two or more houses. I do not propose to accept the amendments tabled by Senator Grace O'Sullivan for the following reasons. It is not...

Seanad: Marine Spatial Planning: Statements (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: On behalf of the Government and my Department I am very pleased to provide an update on marine spatial planning, following on from Senator Grace O'Sullivan's motion last month on marine environment matters. The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and I are delighted to have the chance to have this discussion on what is an important area. We had a...

Seanad: Marine Spatial Planning: Statements (12 Jun 2018)

Damien English: We will arrange for copies to be made available, if we can. The development of an overarching national marine spatial plan was identified as a Government policy objective in Ireland's integrated marine plan, Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth. We identified that the organisation, regulation and protection of marine-based activity in Irish waters were being carried out on a sectoral and...