Results 41-60 of 1,229 for speaker:Denis Landy
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I will try to be brief. Lest there be any misunderstanding I put on record again that I welcome the Minister and what he is trying to do. If there was an inference, and I am not saying there was, that because we do not agree with everything in the Bill, we do not want to solve the housing problem, nothing could be further from the truth. We might be approaching the issue in a different...
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: It was not disorganised either.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I listened very closely to the Minister's evidence and I have it listed here. There were 15 decisions made by An Bord Pleanála on developments in excess of 100 units. The average length of time it took to get a decision was 78 weeks. There needs to be a further breakdown of that figure. Anecdotally and evidentially, the biggest delay in any planning application, whether it is for one...
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: Fifty next year. Okay. Let us say two per local authority. Why can these not be dealt with by one or two specialist members of staff within the local authority? In that way, we could forget about this whole process of fast-tracking through An Bord Pleanála. The evidence that the Minister has provided needs further scoping. I will not say that it does not stand up because that would...
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: On a point of order, could the Minister clarify the word "opportunity" for councils? It is critical.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I apologise.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I do not intend to continue to ask the same questions. I will ask once more. We did not get clarity on the evidence provided by the Minister for An Bord Pleanála. How exactly will councils have input? Will it be as suggested in the amendment, in which the Minister indicated he might accept input via statutory meeting? I welcome the fact the Minister met the Association of Irish...
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I asked about the evidence base.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I am anxious to move on as well.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I have to get to my feet again to ask the question. Will the Minister bring forward an amendment on Report Stage to deal with the inclusion of the councillors in the consultation process? Will it be a statutory consultation process? I need clarity on that point. I apologise if the Minister provided it while I was absent from the Chamber.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: We had a scintillating talk.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: On a point of clarification, are we talking about developments that are in excess of 100 units?
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I spoke extensively on section 3 and no more than the previous speaker I will not rehearse the arguments. All of the sections are interconnected. If one opposes one section, logically one must oppose the related sections, until the subject matter finishes. We will oppose it as well.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: The next amendment, amendment No. 14 in the names of Senators Victor Boyhan, Gerard P. Craughwell, Grace O'Sullivan, John G. Dolan, and Michael McDowell, deals somewhat with this issue. When the debate started earlier the Minister gave a commitment that, on a case-by-case basis, councillors would be consulted by the local authority executive and their views would be taken on board. Therein...
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: One can see the results of bad planning decisions up and down the county, with buildings on flood plains and so on. The only recourse of the citizen, as has been eloquently pointed out by Senator Boyhan, is the local elected representative, who will give an account of what has happened. The public will let the councillors know at the next elections whom they felt let them down or worked on...
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: What the Minister is doing is taking power from local democracy and putting it into a body, An Bord Pleanála, in Dublin. I disagree with the Minister if he thinks that is good for democracy.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: It is exactly what the Minister is doing.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: Walking on people
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: I apologise.
- Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2016)
Denis Landy: My question is directly related to the latter. Is there recourse in law for the applicant besides a penalty? I think the penalty is farcical. Where will the board get the money? It is no penalty to those who are now going to be charged in the special unit. What happens if an applicant chooses to take legal action against the board for not making a decision within the prescribed period?...