Results 3,741-3,760 of 4,718 for speaker:Malcolm Noonan

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Sites (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: The Community Monuments Fund is a grant scheme administered by the National Monuments Service of my Department. The National Monuments Service are responsible for the protection of our archaeological heritage and so the Community Monuments Fund is targeted specifically at our archaeological heritage. The eligibility criteria for the Community Monuments Fund are clearly laid out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Sites (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: The Expert Advisory Group were appointed solely to assess the potential Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and other UNESCO requirements in respect of the six valid applications received in respect of the current review of Ireland's Tentative List of World Heritage Properties. In line with UNESCO guidance to review the Tentative List at least once every ten years, my Department initiated...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I would like to thank the committee for the invitation to provide an update of the work across the heritage and electoral reform divisions of our Department. As members can see, I am joined today by colleagues from across the heritage and electoral reform divisions. It has been an extremely busy 18 months since I took office. Much has been achieved to date and, notwithstanding my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Of course. I thank the members and look forward to their questions. I have not touched on electoral reform but this committee gave great consideration to that Bill earlier this year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: To address Senator Fitzpatrick's question, we have made considerable progress in respect of Moore Street. As she knows, the advisory group, which was chaired by Dr. Tom Collins, whom I thank for his fantastic work, commenced in 2017. Its final report was submitted to the Minister and me on 5 May of this year. We are making significant progress. Our officials have been liaising with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: The Minister and I are committed. The Senator is aware of the progress that has been made to date and the funding that was allocated this year. We want to progress that. We will give a commitment to visit the site early in the new year and we are determined to progress the continuing enabling and conservation works on this critically important national monument.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I will, of course. I thank the Chairman and the Deputy. I am keenly aware of the significant interest of Deputy Ó Broin in this area, especially in modern architecture. I thank him for his questions. As regards the national policy on architecture, he is aware the policy is to support and promote architectural quality and sustainability and it will contain policy actions to encourage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I will try to be quick with these responses. We have a significant role to play in Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park. Our National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, for starters, has responsibility for the implementation of the regulations arising out of the zoo directive and licenses these establishments, including aquaria. When Covid hit last year, we reached out directly to zoos and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank the Deputy for his comments and I might ask my officials to come in on some of them. The Deputy asked a question similar to Deputy Ó Broin’s question on the architecture policy that is due to be published shortly. We can seek to get a draft to members ahead of that publication. There were a number of other questions on the energy policy and the national architecture...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank the Senator for her positive comments, which are most welcome. The question on the Iveagh Market is timely because last week we reached out to the Iveagh Trust to see how we can progress the matter. Like the Senator, I share the concerns of the wider community in Dublin and in the locality about the historic Iveagh Market. It is a beautiful structure with a huge social structure...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I would be more than happy to do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank the Deputy. The question on posters is my pet question. I love it because I successfully ran my 2020 general election campaign without a single poster. I am of the view that posters should be banned or restricted. I would love to see candidates and political parties putting their resources into providing good information to the electorate, both online and in print. It would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: On the Deputy's second question, on damage to habitats, he is absolutely correct. There have been huge challenges. I will ask Mr. Trevor Donnelly from the NPWS to comment on this. During the first summer of the Covid pandemic, there was significant damage. There was certainly an intrusion on wildlife and damage to trails and walkways. A lot of the money we secured under the July stimulus...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I will reiterate what I said at the outset. We are really grateful on the heritage side to have this attention and focus on our work. We know this is an incredibly busy committee that has worked through a huge amount of housing legislation since the Government was formed. We deeply appreciate the fact that it is affording equal time, energy and effort into heritage. It is equally...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: May I give a quick update on the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown survey? As I understand it, that survey is under way. It is due to be completed and its recommendations finalised in 2022.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank Deputy Ó Broin very much. With regard to Moore Street, I reiterate that we are committed to working on the national monument aspect. Over €12 million was awarded under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. We want to get working on that early next year. I will ask Ms Ryan to come in specifically on any comments the Department may have made. I do not want...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Absolutely. I will ask Ms Ryan to come in on that specific question if that is okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank Mr. MacDonagh and Ms Ryan. With regard to the timeline for the Electoral Reform Bill, as I have said, the Chair has written to us and we hope the Bill will be given consideration early next year. Mr. Ryan might be able to provide an update with regard to the timeline for that. As the Deputy can understand and appreciate, it is a very expansive Bill so we are still giving...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank Mr. Ryan. On the issue of posters, I absolutely take on board Deputy Ó Broin's point. These are issues I hope the commission will consider in carrying out its research and advisory function. I agree on the issue of declining electoral turnouts. Yesterday, the other four Oireachtas Members from Carlow-Kilkenny and I attended a fantastic event in Loreto Secondary School,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Update from Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Dec 2021)

Malcolm Noonan: Specifically, on the built heritage investment scheme and the historic structures fund, we could treble those funds over the next couple of years and we would still have huge demand for them. That would be our ambition; we would love to do that. They are very popular. They also provide much local employment. We have been trying to compile the number of hours in local skills and...