Results 9,421-9,440 of 11,413 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Plastics Recycling: Discussion (18 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: My apologies, I had to attend another meeting. I had hoped to be here earlier. I thank our guests for being here and I look forward to reading the transcript of the meeting. I would make a general point that may be surprising to outsiders. I have been struck by the number of people I have spoken to in the past year who said that they paid the levy for silage covers and wrap at the point...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: I thank our guests for being here. My own experience with the planning process is from being a local authority member for quite some time. It happened from time to time, albeit rarely, that the county councillors, through whatever mechanisms, would vote to overturn recommendations from planners. That was considered to be an incredibly serious matter. The process for that involved...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: I understand that they can meet in teams of three to make decisions, and sometimes two representatives can meet for this purpose.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: It is important to state that these small-scale applications could affect people's personal futures in terms of where they live. Therefore, these applications can be most important at a local level. So, the board will meet and members will have the application documents and also will be furnished with the inspector's report. Is that the way such a meeting would operate?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: Can the clock be stopped, please?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: I will go back to the question I asked. The process is that two or three members of the board will sit. They will have the application documents and the inspector's report that will include the recommendation. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: They are authorised, if they so decide, to take a different course of action than the inspector's recommendation. Therefore, an inspector can recommend an approval with condition or a refusal but the board can effectively decide the opposite. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: In that instance, are the members of the board who are present noted and minuted publicly?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: It is clearly recorded which members took which position.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: Okay. That is the point I was coming to. If three members happen to be in attendance to decide to grant where the recommendation was to refuse, or to refuse where the recommendation was to grant, it is not clearly outlined which two voted one way or another.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: How extensive would that rationale and explanation need to be, considering the board could be dealing with a very extensive inspector's report, in order to outline the reason for its recommendation? In comparison, how detailed would the minutes be outlining the rationale for taking a different course?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: The board can, if it so wishes, contravene county development plans.

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: I will finish on this. Does Mr. Walsh consider the notion of not outlining which members take which position in these matters to be a difficulty in terms of accountability and transparency, when we consider the level of judicial reviews that have been taken and where the board's decision has been overturned? Would it not be prudent for the public to know who is making the decisions that are...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: Is it a requirement or is it the practice of members of the board to visit the sites specified in the applications they are considering?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: I was referring only to the members of the board. To come back to my earlier points, I will deal with the example of a refusal by the local authority, but it could as easily be an approval. A type of development might be precluded by the county development plan, a plan whose development would have involved an enormous level of public consultation and a great amount of deliberation at local...

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: I am not suggesting that there has been corruption. I am asking whether Mr. Walsh can see how there is a need for greater accountability and transparency with regard to these types of decision?

Public Accounts Committee: 2019 Financial Statements of An Bord Pleanála (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: I am just dealing with what we have, which is An Bord Pleanála. I want to ensure the public can have absolute confidence. If three members of the board sit to adjudicate on a case and two decide to overturn a previous recommendation while one does not, this creates the potential that had it been a different three members of the board, a different decision might have been reached....

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Common Security and Defence Policy (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: 56. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the position regarding the approval of EU funds for the European Defence Fund. [25128/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: 118. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the expected completion date with regard to the new building for a school (details supplied) in County Monaghan. [25120/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 May 2021)

Matt Carthy: 154. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps that have been taken by her Department to ensure that capacity will be available in school transport for all applicants in 2021/2022. [25119/21]