Results 4,481-4,500 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: This was published without much clarity in that section and section 250 as well. It has raised many questions for us. Deputy O'Callaghan had to attend the Chamber, so I will bring him back him to finish that up when he comes back. I call Senator Seery Kearney.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Thank you. I call Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: It is incredibly difficult to discuss this context without knowing what is being proposed. It has created many questions and concerns for us. This is something that needs to be produced in tandem with this Bill, before we go any further with it. I have a few of my own questions as well. I will then bring back in Deputy Ó Broin. Regarding section 83 of this proposed legislation,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Yes, okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Yes. That is grand. A submission, which I think is from the Law Society, refers, in relation to costs, to "The Aarhus Convention and implementing EU Directives require that costs in certain environmental cases must not be prohibitively expensive". Is this term, "prohibitively expensive", defined? What might be really prohibitively expensive to somebody earning €50,000 per year may...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: It is not related to a person's means.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: With the cost protection that exists at the moment, if a group such as Friends of the Irish Environment took a case, it would be covered by this costs protection under section 50B as it is. If a big oil company comes in, is it entitled to the same cost protection as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: If a company was taking a public interest environmental case, it may be to its benefit at the end of it. Those companies are covered by it as well, however.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is grand; I thank Ms Minch. One of the issues that came up time and again in our engagements with An Bord Pleanála, the Office of the Planning Regulator, regional assemblies and local authorities was resources at planning decision level. That big backlog we see in An Bord Pleanála at the moment was outlined to us. In terms of court resources, such as judges and people to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: To go back to the question of grounds, if people do not raise certain grounds in their submission to the board of the planning authority, they may not be in a position to raise it on the judicial review stage. Someone can make a submission to the planning authority in week two, three, four or five of the timeframe that is open for submissions. There are certain things that may or may not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: The narrative that goes around is that delays in the planning system are the reason why we do not have X, Y or Z etc. From what we have heard, it is a resourcing issue with the first line of decision-makers on the board. Planning authorities actually meet their timelines quite well. In terms of judicial reviews slowing down everything, again, that is a resourcing issue. There are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: As long as it is not in respect of section 249 again. I believe everyone has answered the Deputy's question on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: May I add to that question? There was reference to a case. I wrote it down but I cannot read my writing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: It was on section 5.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: We can tease out this issue between us. The Bill seems to be trying to address this complication by excluding the member of the public rather than addressing the issue that arose in the case Mr. Flynn named.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: To back up what Deputy O'Callaghan said, we did not hear any evidence from planning representatives of local government that it created a resource issue. However, given the amount of time we have spent talking about section 5, everybody knows about it now and it might become a resource issue. I have questions on Part 9. If somebody seeks leave to apply for judicial review, a respondent...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Would somebody given notice that leave to seek judicial review of their decision has been sought weigh it up in their minds and consider that, at the leave to appeal stage, they might win and then have to go into the full judicial review process and defeat the leave to appeal? I am probably not using the right terminology but would they make a judgment call on it? That could stretch out for...