Results 1,141-1,160 of 25,975 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: I know. Cumulative impacts are already covered by AA. Will the Deputy allow us to consider the matter and revert to him?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Deputy and I will have to beg to differ on this point. As I said, we see section 24(2) as a very positive measure. It is rare that there would not, in practice, be public consultation. It will now be prescribed for specifically by way of legislation under section 24(2). There may be rare situations. Public consultation would probably take a minimum period of four weeks. The key...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: I think I have also covered amendment No. 215.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: Fine.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: I take it that we are in agreement on the proposed subsection (10). In substance, the amendment and section 24(10)(a) are the same. Under the proposed subsection (11), what the Deputy is looking for is provided for under the SEA directive. The wording “significant effects on the environment” used in the amendment is covered by that directive and the European site element is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: I also have amendments Nos. 225 to 227 grouped with those.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: I will deal with amendments Nos. 222 to 227, inclusive, which relate to a transitional provision - section 25 - which provides for the continuation in force of pre-commencement ministerial guidelines. The purpose of section 25 is to ensure that guidelines issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 will continue in force following the repeal of that Act. The Minister of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: It will probably take a couple of years for that to happen. The intention would be to have a structured approach to replace the section 28 guidelines with national planning statements. We may have in place national planning statements, which will replace specific section 28 guidelines, while at the same time existing section 28 guidelines continue to have the same legal status as they...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: The intention would be to do it in line with the commencement of the Act for strategic infrastructure. The intention would be to roll it out over a two-year period. The existing section 28 guidelines will be replaced by national planning statements. Clearly, many elements of the current section 28 guidelines will continue and some of them may change.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: The Deputy is being a little bit semantic there.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: The guideline within the-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: We are introducing national planning statements because we want to ensure there is consistency. We have discussed this before. There are inconsistencies between different local authorities and their interpretation. The SPPRs came about because of the inconsistency. The SPPRs were to try to reduce those inconsistencies. Amendment No. 222 states: "other than guidelines issues under section...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: Yes. They are embedded as a stabiliser.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: Yes.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: My understanding from the officials is that that is not how the courts interpret the SPPRs. In the Deputy's sister amendment, No. 226, he effectively wants to reduce the status of SPPRs to the status of guidelines.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: Once again, that is taking away existing safeguards. The SPPRs were introduced to provide safeguards. If we opt for amendment No. 226, it will effectively remove them. I find that very surprising coming from someone like the Deputy in that the SPPRs are safeguards. We are seeking to replace the section 28 guidelines. Embedded in many of those are SPPRs in varying number. We believe...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: They are not stand-alone. They are embedded in the guidelines.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: I will make two very quick points and then conclude. We are introducing the national policy statements such that there will now be a whole document, as distinct from a section 28 guideline, with SPPRs embedded. Second, they are approved by the Cabinet, which gives added weight. We will beg to differ.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: To say that the national planning statements are not a change is incorrect. They are.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Kieran O'Donnell: I move amendment No. 186: In page 65, to delete lines 2 to 4 and substitute the following: “(7) A failure to comply with subsections (5) and (6) within the time period specified therein shall not of itself invalidate a National Planning Statement.”.