Results 16,681-16,700 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: However, in the case of a fund, whether one calls it a vulture fund, an investment fund, an equity fund or whatever, buying up a site for which planning permission has been granted, knowing that it is at a significant value today but is likely to be at an even higher value in a year or two years, even though if a builder owned the site, it would be viable for him or her to start building...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Therefore, we may well get into dangerous territory if we start trying to define hoarding and if politicians decide what is and is not a viable proposition on a site. That is a somewhat dangerous space in which to be. The House should consider what it costs us to build social housing. I can think of a number of social housing projects where the houses, excluding land, have cost us...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: On a point of order, I must leave to fulfil another commitment. The Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, will replace me but I will return to the House later.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: I assure the Senator that the Minister of State knows more about this legislation than I do. The House is in safe hands.

Seanad: Micro-plastic and Micro-bead Pollution Prevention Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: My apologies for temporarily leaving the House. I was in the other House listening to Senator O'Sullivan's Green Party colleague speaking on the Local Government (Mayor and Regional Authority of Dublin) Bill 2016. We are going to do this. There are fundamental problems with the microbeads Bill, which I will outline. This does not mean I do not share the view that we need to ban the use of...

Seanad: Micro-plastic and Micro-bead Pollution Prevention Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Amendments will not deal with this and I will explain why. I reassure the House that I, as Minister with responsibility for marine environmental protection, and the Government generally recognise that microbeads used in cosmetics, body-care products generally and also products like detergents and scouring agents are potentially harmful to our river and marine environments. Indeed, Ireland...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: I assume the Minister of State at my Department, Deputy Damien English, responded to the amendment and read the reply on it.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: What did Senators and the Minister of State talk about? After the three-year period expires, there will be an option under the legislation for the Minister to extend the period for a further two years. The measure will be subject to lot of scrutiny to see whether it has been effective. There will be many opportunities for the Minister to attend debates in both Houses. I have been here...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Can I make a point of information?

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: I believe there has been a genuine misunderstanding. Obviously, I respect the rulings of the Chair.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: I will be brief on the amendment. I wish to be helpful because I know that there are rules that must be obeyed. I am happy that a review would take place and that it would be laid before the Oireachtas before any future Minister would make a decision to extend the period beyond three years. The review would be fully scrutinised, Deputy, or Senator, sorry.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: I can assure Senators that I am not hiding from anything when it comes to the policies that we are bringing forward on housing. I do not see why the Department would not have a thorough independent review that is fully scrutinised by the Oireachtas and would not be happy to commit to that in legislation. That would be a perfectly normal procedure before a policy decision is extended....

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: I also see this as a use it or lose it clause and I support it. Again, the legal advice I have received on this amendment is to check the wording, because there is one element that we need to cover. If somebody does start building, but for some reason there is a problem, for example, if the estate is substantially completed and runs out of planning, what we do not want is a half-finished...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Yes. They are the only applications eligible for the streamlined process.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: We can accept the wording of the amendment as is, and if there is any problem we can come back on Tuesday and change it on Report Stage.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: These are technical wording amendments. They do not change very much in the paragraphs which is why I was not going to spend much time on them. I can go through each amendment individually if the House wants but they are essentially technical wording amendments which do not change the meaning of the Bill.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Amendments Nos. 8, 9 and 15 collectively propose insertions relating to the considerations of universal design, sustainable development and accessibility to services as set out in section 52 of the Disability Act 2005. The concept of universal design centres on achieving a built environment that can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Absolutely. It refers to all new buildings, including all social housing. There are not as many new social housing units around as we would like but the number is increasing and there will be more next year. They are A-rated in terms of energy.The quality of the design in new social housing stock is very good. There is a financial cost to that but there are also quality-of-life and...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)

Simon Coveney: Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision. The accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where it is practicable and appropriate to do so. There is a basic standard in the regulations and a guidance document that...