Results 1,421-1,440 of 14,941 for speaker:Eoin Ó Broin

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Amendment No. 954 replaces Part 9 entirely and reinserts provisions from the existing Act in sections 50, 50A and 50B. The amendment makes some minor changes to what is currently in the legislation, particularly in terms of the counting of the eight-week judicial review window. Part of the reason is to ensure it is compliant with the European Court of Justice decision in case No. 470 of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: While I have been accused of many things in the Chamber and in the committee, it has never been lack of imagination, but there is always a first time. Imagination is not what we are looking for; we are looking for reforms that will work and will improve our planning system. That is the issue at hand here. The Minister of State has said that the status quo is not sustainable. That means...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I have two follow-up questions. This is the first time a Minister or Minister of State has publicly stated that there will not be fewer judicial reviews. Indeed, one of the Minister of State’s predecessors, the now Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Peter Burke, spoke publicly about a judicial review industry in a high-profile interview that made it onto the front...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I will get to that. That was the second point the Minister of State made. It is interesting that the Government now says it does not anticipate any reduction in the number of judicial reviews. In some sense, that tallies with the legal opinions received by this committee that the Bill is likely to increase the number. The Minister of State spoke about quicker processing times. I will...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Did the Minister of State say "weeks"?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: It will save a few weeks.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Yes. I asked two questions. How much time will this save overall? The Minister of State said the removal of the leave stage will save weeks. JRs can take a year or 18 months to two years. They are very slow, although it is to be hoped they will speed up. Is the Minister of State saying there is no assessment of how much time on average these proposed changes are likely to save? I...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: To the section. Sure.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I am happy to do that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: To respond to the Chair, if the Government's defence of this legislation is that it will speed up the process and save time, one would imagine the Government or officials have some kind of analysis of how much time might be saved or how much it will speed it up by-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: -----even within a range.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: In the context of the discussion Deputy O'Callaghan and I were trying to have with the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, on whether an analysis was underpinning this, the Minister of State is essentially confirming that there is no analysis of the actual amount of time it is likely to save. There is a hope that this will do something, but no actual assessment.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: How do you know that if there is no analysis stating what it potentially could save time-wise?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Will the Minister of State stick to these reforms in these sections?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: We have no idea how much time it will save.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: We do not know. It might not save any time, other than maybe a few weeks.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Other than a few weeks. That is the only certainty the Minister of State has.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: That is not the question. The planning court is separate. That is a resource issue, which we support in that we would like to see more resources. We agree on that. The Minister of State has set out that getting rid of the leave stage will save some weeks. In terms of the rest of the change, however, some weeks will not cut it for people who are stuck in a JR. The Minister of State is...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Okay. Will the Minister of State give any further clarity on the cost regime, other than there is a group working on it, and the Minister is to report back in three months?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Apologies. We will deal with that when we get to the section. I am happy to do that.