Results 10,161-10,180 of 26,787 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: International Protection (15 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is the Department with lead responsibility for the provision of accommodation for refugees and International Protection applicants. My Department is supporting the whole of government response to the war in Ukraine and has taken responsibility for some elements, in order to provide support and assistance to...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 49: In page 5, line 7, after "Pleanála" to insert the following: "and, in order to facilitate and accelerate the provision of housing on lands owned by local authorities and certain state authorities, to provide that certain housing development on such lands be exempted development,".

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 41: In page 10, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 111 of Act of 2000 11. Section 111 of the Act of 2000 is amended by the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (7): “(8) Notwithstanding any provision of this Act, a meeting of An Bord Pleanála, including a division of the board, may take...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 42: In page 10, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 179 of Act of 2000 12.Section 179 of the Act of 2000 is amended in subsection (1)(a), by the insertion of “, other than development to which section 179A applies,” after “a development or a class of development”.”.

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 43: In page 10, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “Local authority own housing development 13.The Act of 2000 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 179: “179A.(1) This section applies to housing development— (a) that is carried out by, on behalf of, or jointly or in partnership with, a local authority...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy got the right sense of where we are at. I will not accept the amendment but I will not delay the House either. Section 5 of the Bill puts in place the appropriate provision for the appointment an interim chair. The Deputies will know from our earlier discussions that there is a valid reason for that to happen and in fairness, most Deputies agree. In appointing a deputy chair, a...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I was talking about you stirring the pot.

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: That is your opinion.

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: We will set out in regulations the matter of reporting. We have to get the first phase of the work done, so I am not going to pre-empt anything, but I would expect it to be done quarterly. I want this to work. It is a new initiative and I am not saying I will expect understanding from the opposite side of the House-----

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: Nevertheless, it is important to be fair and I accept the points that have been made. We want the best quality builds and I fully understand what modern methods of construction, MMCs, are. I have visited many very good producers throughout the country, as I am sure many of the Deputies will also have done. There is a significant opportunity for us to scale it up and, I hope, we can point...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. I will try to address some of the questions that have been raised. First, Deputy Ó Broin has asked about the type of scale or delivery of the additionality. We do not have the exact figures yet because we are still doing the surveys but there are approximately 38 sites in the €100 million fund that we have established. They are not in every single...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: He is probably stirring the pot. This is zoned land and there are no surprises there. This is land that is zoned in the development plan and there are no material contraventions, no breaches of development plans and no breaches of local area plans, LAPs. It is land that was already identified. Most of us within the areas we represent will be aware of State-owned land that is zoned but has...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I will come in and respond-----

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, after line 26, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 4 of Act of 2000 3. Section 4(1) of the Act of 2000 is amended by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (f): “(fa) development to which section 179A applies;”.”. I propose to address Government amendments Nos. 3, 42, 43 and 49 together,...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: To be fair, in any of my dealings with him on any legislation, Deputy Nash has always endeavoured to be, and always has been, constructive. I will not accept the amendment, however, and I will explain why. First, it is very broad. The amendment proposes that "Each amendment to the Act of 2000 effected by this Act shall continue in operation for 18 months". As I said earlier, I do not...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy Matthews for his intervention. It puts it in context. Just before he arrived, I mentioned that the existing system is not fit for purpose when it comes to appointments and it excludes people. An open and transparent competition process is open to everyone. I said that earlier but I reinforce what Deputy Matthews has said. He is correct that it should be open for everyone...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: It is an interim process.

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Deputy O’Callaghan and his colleagues, Deputy Ó Broin and others, for tabling the amendment. I will put this and the timeframe in context. I am not accepting the amendment and will tell the House why. I will also take up one of the suggestions Deputy Ó Broin made, which is something I intended to do in any event. If we look at this Bill and at what we are doing,...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: When those 12-month appointments cease, we must ensure we have a system in place where people can apply for new roles in a new reformed an coimisiún pleanála. We need to have that as there has to be a transition. We cannot have a cliff edge between one system and the other. The reform of the appointment process for board members to the board of An Bord Pleanála is a critical...

Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (14 Dec 2022)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank all Deputies and appreciate the, for the most part, considered responses they have given. In response to Deputy Verona Murphy, who is not here, I live in a terraced duplex house. I like it, as do many people. It might not suit her in Wexford. That is fine, I take the point. There are urgent matters in the Bill. I welcome the support of the main Opposition party for the...