Results 581-600 of 1,343 for speaker:Mary Fitzpatrick

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Ms Buckley, Mr. Cussen and their teams for giving of their time today. It is precious. We really appreciate and value the work they all do daily. The objective here is to ensure that we have a planning process that is consistent and clear and in which people can have confidence. I apologise for not having been physically present for the opening statements and discussion so far...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: There was a lot of discussion about fines and penalties for the board not meeting timelines, accepting the statement that even with no backlog, the board does not always achieve 100% of the deadlines. Ms Buckley mentioned that other effective measures could be taken to ensure adherence to timelines and I ask her to elaborate on this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: What we want to achieve is consistent and timely decisions that are objectively arrived at and can be objectively defended.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: With regard to the timings, and appreciating that it is not something that has yet been defined, the idea of an 18-week timeline is out there. One expectation the public will have, despite the approximately 730 pages of the Bill, is that it will streamline the process. It will standardise and streamline it and lead to efficiencies of process and practice. Is the public incorrect to expect...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Yes, I have.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I have several questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I promise I will be as efficient as humanly possible. There has been a lot of discussion around resources and how every sector is struggling to get human resources, be it bus drivers or restaurant workers. There is not one sector that is not struggling with resources. How are both organisations engaging and working with the Departments of Education and Further and Higher Education,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: It is an interface.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I call for a debate with the Minister for Justice on the deployment of a dedicated public transport Garda unit. I have raised this issue many times in the House, including, most recently, on the Order of Business last week, following on from the debate in the Seanad on 25 January this year. I welcome the students in the Gallery. I am sure many of them use public transport in this city,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Department officials for this enormous piece of work; it is really impressive. We are 20 years on and the world has changed so rapidly. The 700-odd pages are daunting for a layperson like me and will be daunting for much of the general public as well. The work the Department is doing to improve the consistency, clarity and certainty around our planning is important. What is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Will these national planning statements have to conform with international laws?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: And European laws if they were relevant?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: The national planning statements would have to conform with national laws, such as our climate action laws.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: The statements would have to be consistent with all of these laws.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: On public participation, a lot of talk so far has been around judicial reviews. I would have thought that one of the objectives of us streamlining and improving the consistency, certainty and clarity of our planning laws was to ensure we have a reduction in the need for recourse to judicial reviews. Is that a realistic and fair expectation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Apart from the proposal to extend the period of the development plans, will the public continue to have the same access to participation in the creation of county and city development plans as it has enjoyed up to now? Will the general public continue to enjoy the same access to make an appeal and ability to make observations or objections in local authority planning applications?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: When can the public expect to get sight of the statutory timelines the Department proposes to introduce?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: You have to have a sufficient interest.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: It is an important point to have clarified.