Results 3,261-3,280 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: On the municipal area, the Senators are not united. I do not want to divide and conquer. That is not what I am about.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: The Senators are divided. There is a disagreement and I would rather that we could find a way in which we all agree on this. The issue is whether a councillor would have the right to a zero fee right throughout a local authority area or only in the municipal area. That is the space we are down to. There is disagreement on that. Senator Humphreys made a good case on that and I am willing...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: I want to be very clear on this. In an earlier response to the Senator, I said he made a very strong case, therefore, we are close on this.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: The Senators' amendments Nos. 42 and 43 are different. Senator Humphreys's amendment does not relate to primary legislation, rather it covers the whole area. Amendment No. 43 relates to primary legislation and covers a smaller area, a municipal area. The Senators are not at one with their amendments. Rather than split the views of Members around the House, we have a week or two before-----

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: It does not bother me either. This is a planning Bill and to get it right I would rather we were all on the one page with this. We have time before Report Stage to find a way by which we can agree on this. That is all I am saying. By all means the Senator can press his amendment to a vote, but his amendment relates to regulations, not legislation. That is his recommendation just in case...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: I will be here for this week to finish this.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: Senator Boyhan can call a vote. I am not forcing him to do that or not to do that.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: In respect of their two amendments, the two Senators have engaged a great deal on this issue. We have made a great deal of progress and we have achieved what I believe councillors want, which is a zero rate. We have all agreed on that now. From my hearing of it, the councillors were not necessarily dictating whether it was by way of regulation or legislation. I am happy to engage with the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: Okay.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: It is 20 years since planning fees were changed. We are all agreeing on this change now.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: That is unfair. We have not been saying that for weeks. We established this last week. We discussed this. The Senator made a very good case, as did Senator Humphreys and others. We agreed then that it needed more clarification in this House and that we would go to a zero rate. I discussed that with the Senator. Let us be fair about this.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: No. In other previous discussions, I had said, as did the Minister, Deputy Murphy, that we would go to this, but that it needed more clarity. Let us very clear on this. We agreed before the end of Committee Stage we would clarify that we wanted to go to a zero rate. We are doing that. We will have Report Stage. I suggest, for the final time, that the Senator does not call a vote on this...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: It is in the regulations.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: Amendment No. 44 complements measures agreed to in the Dáil debate on the Bill to address the past performance of developers in the consideration of planning applications. I commenced my approach to this issue during the Committee Stage in the Dáil by tabling an amendment to section 34 of the principal Act which would require planning authorities in the assessment and determination...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: With the agreement of the House, I will discuss amendments Nos. 45 and 46 together.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: Government amendment No. 45 comprises two measures. The amendment deletes the provisions of section 35 of the Bill to amend section 28 (2) of the Planning and Development (Housing) Residential Tenancies Act 2016. Section 35 relates to the further extension of the duration of planning permission for certain developments relating to 20 or more houses, which is provided for in section 42 of...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: I do not follow the argument. What does The Irish Timesarticle refer to?

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: Yes, but I am not sure how it relates to this Bill.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: I would not mind responding.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Apr 2018)

Damien English: I wish to clarify two points. The issues to which Senator Murnane O'Connor refers would have come up very clearly at the committees. Both committees were given the job of scrutinising the plan on behalf of the Houses of the Oireachtas after a motion in the Houses to do that. There was talk of strengthening the position around education, and it is plainly important that we do that in...