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Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I am looking at the schedule and the list of amendments ahead of us and I am confident we have timed it well and will have the sessions available to us to deal with each of those. I thank the Deputy for that offer and I will discuss it with him and others after the meeting. Does the Minister of State wish to press amendment No. 138?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: We have reached the end of the time allowed to us, so I cannot proceed to a vote in the committee room. We will recommence at Tuesday at 12.30 p.m. and the first order of business will be to take the vote on amendment No. 138. I thank members and the Minister of State for attending.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: This committee meeting will recommence pre-legislative scrutiny on the electoral reform Bill. Today, we are joined by representatives of the following advocacy groups: Mr. Bernard Joyce, director, and Ms Jacinta Brack, co-ordinator of political advocacy communications and campaigns, Irish Traveller Movement, ITM; Mr. James Doorley, deputy director, National Youth Council of Ireland, NYCI;...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Doorley. I now invite Ms McCarthy Flynn to make her opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: They were good questions and the subject matter was good. I was willing to let the time run on. I will try to make up the time as we go along.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: Perhaps Mr. Joyce will speak to movement and how to stay on the register. Mr. Doorley covered it as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I would like to move on now but we will return to those questions if possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I appreciate that. This is an issue to which we will return and which we discuss a little more because some of the online abuse politicians get is horrific. The question is how we deal with it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt Mr. Joyce. We only have six minutes per slot. If members are going to ask three in-depth questions, they are likely to get three answers within the six minutes. I ask members to co-operate as closely as possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: The Senator took approximately four minutes for her questions so I ask the witnesses to take approximately one minute each for their responses, if possible. I am trying to get the meeting back on track.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Senator. That was four minutes and 20 seconds spent on the question so he may wish to direct it to one of the witnesses to get a complete answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Doorley. We may get time at the end for Senator Boyhan to come back to that question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Senator. We move to the Social Democrats and Deputy Cian O'Callaghan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt Ms Lane, but Senator Boyhan has pointed out that the time slots must be consistent. I agree with him completely and I am doing my best to keep the slots consistent. I do not like to interrupt people when they are responding to a question, but I am trying to keep contributions to six or seven minutes. I thank Senator Boyhan for pointing that out. I call Deputy Higgins.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: Would Ms Lane like to respond to Deputy Higgins first, and then we can work back?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I call Mr. Joyce.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I apologise for interrupting. We are seven minutes into this time slot and I must move on. I call Deputy Ó Murchú. We are not picking up the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: Yes, loud and clear. The Deputy can proceed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Deputy. I will invite Mr. Doorley to respond first as I could not bring him in the last time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Jun 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Doorley for that response. Does Ms Lane wish to respond?