Results 1-20 of 2,249 for speaker:John Cummins

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank all Senators for their engagement on this Bill. I acknowledge the contributions of Senators Flaherty, Boyhan, Murphy, Andrews, Stephenson, Higgins, Blaney and Rabbitte. We all recognise that it is important that developers use their permissions, whether for housing or energy projects, and important to encourage developers to act quickly on their consents. The Acts of 2000 and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Building Projects (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Helen McEntee. I thank the Senator for raising the matter of the status of a new school application for Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim. Scoil Mhuire is a co-educational school under Catholic patronage. As the Senator rightly pointed out, it is the result of an amalgamation in September...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Building Projects (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: The Department is fully aware of the needs of Scoil Mhuire and the local area and the application for a new school building. I assure the Senator that the application will be reviewed further following the outcome of the NDP allocation process. The Department acknowledges the ongoing discussions concerning a proposed new school building, which the Senator rightly pointed out. It will...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this important Commencement matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health. Heart failure is a complex condition that affects thousands of people in Ireland. Many people are unaware that they have heart failure, due to the gradual onset of symptoms, which are often mistaken for normal signs of ageing or attributed to other health...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (9 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I acknowledge that cardiovascular health is a central pillar of health funding as part of budget 2025, which included more than €9 million in full-year costs to support important cardiovascular health initiatives. The budget commits €4 million in additional full-year costs and 45 new posts to reform how we deliver cardiac services. Since 2020, the chronic disease management...

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to bring the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 before the House today. Members will recall the size of the Planning and Development Bill 2024, which was enacted last year. Many of us worked extensively on that legislation, both at the joint Oireachtas committee and in both Houses. While the implementation of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I will answer the Deputy's question. The Department has undertaken a wide review of exempted developments. All Departments have fed into that process. We have not had updated exempted development regulations for the past 25 years. As such, this is an extensive body of work and it is not only related to modular homes to the rear of a dwelling. It relates to all exempted development...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: It will be out for public consultation for a period of four weeks. We hope to go out in the next couple of weeks on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (8 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: We hope to have the exempted development regulations in place by the end of the year, yes.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Council (2 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Senator Noonan for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan. I acknowledge the Senator's contribution to the sector during his time as Minister of State with responsibility for nature, heritage and electoral reform. The Department is of course aware of the important commitment in the programme for Government to undertake a review...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Council (2 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Senator Noonan. Again, I acknowledge his work in this area. Notwithstanding that the council has been able to discharge its responsibilities very effectively in recent years, I agree, as I know the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan does, that the Heritage Act, and particularly the definition the Senator referenced on what heritage is, should be reviewed to bring its provisions...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: The zoning of land is an exercise undertaken by planning authorities as part of their development plan process. The making of a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of each planning authority who are required by legislation to be consistent with the established statutory national and regional planning policy and legislation, including, as identified in the national...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: It is the requirement of local authorities and the reserved function of members to decide what locations and what specific zoning objectives they determine for each land bank. They are required to include mandatory objectives regarding regeneration and to provide zoning for residential, commercial, employment and enterprise, industrial and other uses to such extent as the proper planning and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I appreciate the comments the Deputy made. It is not just for residential purposes; it is for industrial and commercial. While we do not instruct local authorities on specific areas, it is obviously a requirement to forward planning teams to look at the overall picture within a local authority area and determine where they feel residential, commercial, industrial zoning is appropriate and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Authorities (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I have no doubt that the Deputy will continue to use this Chamber to be a strong advocate for north Kildare and the county as a whole. The Deputy is right about the LPT; there is a recognition in the Government of the increased pressures on areas like Kildare. That is why we are saying as a Government, in line with the decisions that have been made by the Cabinet and the Minister, Deputy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Planning Framework (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, as he has done previously. As I do, the Deputy recognises the importance of translating what we have approved in this House in the national planning framework into getting it implemented by local authorities in their development plans as early as possible. That is why the Minister, Deputy Browne, has written to local authorities telling them to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Planning Framework (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I can assure the Deputy that there will be headroom in the housing growth requirements. Obviously, there will be the base, in line with what is in the national planing framework, which is to provide about 54,000 homes per annum. This is a significant increase compared with the 33,000 previously. There is a requirement in the base for a significant additional zoning requirement. As we know...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Planning Framework (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank both Deputies. Increasing housing supply in all parts of the country is critical. The variation process in terms of the county development plans is a very important part of this. That is why such extensive work has been done in the Department to ensure that the housing growth requirements are aligned with the NPF and that they also allow for additional headroom in terms of zoning...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Authorities (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: I thank Deputy Neville for raising this matter, as he regularly does in this Chamber . His advocacy for Kildare is certainly well noted. As he will be aware, I was in Kildare last Thursday, when I visited the local authority and engaged with the executive team. Much of what the Deputy has raised here in his question was the subject of the discussion we had. The system of funding of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Authorities (1 Jul 2025)

John Cummins: It is the case that, through a decision made in Cabinet today on the LPT model, there will be a significant increase in LPT for Kildare County Council as part of its 2026 figures. That will be made up from an increase in the baseline figures but also from the retention element moving from 22.5% to 31%. It means that Kildare County Council will have an additional €4.9 million in...