Results 5,381-5,400 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Those were important clarifications, which is why I let that run over. There are three members left and six minutes. I am going to Senator Seery Kearney, and Senator Moynihan. If they could just keep it very direct and as short as possible because I am out of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: For the final couple of minutes I will bring in Deputy Ó Broin and Deputy O'Callaghan if they could share the time. We have about three or four minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy Ó Broin. We can discuss that. I thank Ms Graham, Mr. Gallagher, Ms Murray and Mr. Ryan for their attendance. We will hold a second session now with organisations to continue this process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: This is the second session on the pre-legislative scrutiny of general scheme of the planning and development and foreshore (amendment Bill) 2022. We are joined by the Ms Attracta Uí Bhroin of the Irish Environmental Network, IEN, Mr. Gavin Lawlor of the Irish Planning Institute and Ms Karin Dubsky of Coastwatch. They are all very welcome this morning to assist us as we go through the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Ms Dubsky submitted an opening statement but it arrived quite late. As part of the Irish Environmental Network, IEN, submission, does she wish to briefly give an opening statement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Dubsky and invite Mr. Lawlor to make his opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I will move now to the members and we have time for seven minutes slots. For the information of the witnesses, seven minutes is the entire time given to members to ask the question and for the witnesses to try to respond. It would be helpful if members were to direct a question to a particular witness. Taking the first slot is Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: We have time, so Mr. Lawlor can respond.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Does Mr. Lawlor wish to take the first question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: It is my slot next. We have a panel referred to in the current legislation, which are those nominating bodies. In this proposed amendment, we are talking about a panel that to my understanding consists of a number of people the committee would recommend from which the Minister could select. Therefore, we have "panel" used in two different ways.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I am trying to clarify that in my own mind as much as anybody else's. I will stick with the discussion on the committee. What would Ms Uí Bhroin recommend in terms of how that committee should be formed? First of all, the general scheme of the Bill states "the Minister shall" set up this committee. Ms Uí Bhroin made reference to how the members are selected. She said it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: I would be interested in hearing more about that. These sessions are really helpful because we get to look at this legislation before it becomes a Bill. It is a general scheme at the moment. When we are able to engage with expert witnesses like Ms Uí Bhroin, it really helps us to formulate and say this is how we can actually improve it. That is what I would hope to get out of this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Cian O'Callaghan made the point and I think the Department agreed that those other disciplines should be named in it. I do not think sustainable development is enough to encompass that because there are varying definitions or understandings of what sustainable development may be. My last question is on the foreshore, the airspace. The Foreshore Act states something at the moment....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: From Ms Uí Bhroin's reading of it, would it be her understanding that if somebody wishes to carry out an aerial survey with this change being made that they would require foreshore licence approval if we bring airspace into it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: Ms Uí Bhroin has made the important point about the role played by a healthy ocean system in carbon sequestration, in addressing climate action as well as the energy requirement that we have. We must ensure that we do not sacrifice one to keep the other.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: We are quite tight for time but I expect similar questions from other members. We can come back to Deputy Ó Broin's questions about heads 7 and 9 at the end if that is okay. I will move on to Deputy Higgins, who is joining us online.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022: Discussion (10 Nov 2022)

Steven Matthews: We will have a 14-member board plus a chair giving 15 in total. I would not expect all 15 members to be single-discipline experts. I take Ms Uí Bhroin's point if the panel were depleted of a certain discipline or expertise, the board would then be left short of that. I would imagine that somebody with experience of architecture would also have knowledge of urban planning, spatial...