Results 21-40 of 2,457 for speaker:John Cummins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: It is very hard to say because that process is being done independently. There are a number of outcomes that could come from it, but I want to be in a position to be able to sign the regulations if there is no additional work required. If such work is requires, then it will have to be done before I can sign them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Sure. We will take that away.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Will the Deputy remind me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Again, that comes into the sequencing of the additional regulations that I deal with in the previous question. It was a priority to be able to bring forward the aspect relating to slurry storage and animal housing as a result of the impact in the context of our nitrates derogation. It was a priority of the Government, and it is also a priority as one of the actions out of the collaborative...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Anything that I say here is obviously subject to change because-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: I am hoping to bring forward the domestic ones this side of Christmas. We will then be into the new year in the context of deal with the next theme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Roughly, it will be four, five or six. It depends. We are still working on splitting them out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: The answer to the Senator's first question is yes, I believe that these exemptions will have a positive impact on water quality. It is about ensuring, as I said, that we have adequate and sufficient storage on farms and that it is used at the appropriate time in order to reduce the likes of chemical fertiliser. This will have a positive impact for farmers from a cost perspective as well....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Teagasc has conducted research on this and it is expected that additional capacity will be required per animal on farm. This is being worked through at the moment as to what exactly it will be. Given that and the fact that we want to try to ensure efficient management, having additional slurry storage capacity on farm is obviously a really positive thing we are trying to implement. What...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: The Department of agriculture has very clear standards for slurry storage that have to be adhered to. As the Senator knows, anyone applying for a TAMS grant has to build the structure in accordance with the standards. Even if someone is not availing of a TAMS grant, there are regulations under the nitrates rules that they must comply with the set standards and specifications as laid down by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: We all want better water quality. Our agriculture sector is very important to the Irish economy, for jobs and exports, and we have to ensure water quality is improved. The EPA report published today contains some positives but it is not where we want it to be. As I said, there are improvements in the nitrates piece and phosphorous within that, which need to be built upon. The number of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: It is very hard to quantify. We know that 52% are in compliance and everything is good, and significant work needs to be carried out to improve this percentage. It is very hard to put an exact number on what impact this particular measure will have. As the Deputy knows, water quality is not just one single item. It is a series of items, organisations, and individuals that have an impact...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: It would be 18 m by 18 m by 3 m deep. It would probably be a similar size to this committee room.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Significant grant support is available from the Department of agriculture in this space, There is 60% grant aid for slurry storage. As part of this, farmers have to ensure they have a certificate of exemption from the local authority to say that applies. That, I argue, will cater for the vast majority.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: The granting of aid requires a check by the Department. It has to be done-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: -----but building control is a matter for local authorities, as the Deputy rightly pointed out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: It does. It is required that the construction has been deemed exempt. It does not require an EIA and it will not be on a Natura site. It will be set back a sufficient distance from watercourses and neighbouring locations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: Could the Deputy elaborate on the last question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: There are legal requirements under nitrates law to ensure something is built in a compliant way. There are, obviously, checks by the Department of agriculture in relation to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

John Cummins: No. Then there are local authority building control checks in the same way that there would be such checks for any structure built. We were speaking earlier about the exemptions pertaining to the commercial-to-residential aspect. It is a matter for the local authority to ensure the conversions are made compliantly.