Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and wish him well in his work. I am conscious he was invited to the House today to talk about the Department's response to Covid. There is always a temptation to drift into the Minister's wider portfolio, which includes housing, local government, planning and heritage. I will try to avoid doing that because it is clear from today's contributions that we would need a whole session on housing and another whole session on local government. They are two really important issues. I thank the Minister and his officials who we sometimes forget. As those of us who are on the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage will know, much of our business is done directly with the departmental officials. That is unknown to many. We can pick up the phone to them and they can do likewise to us. Many people do not have that facility and I thank the Minister for providing it. That is a really important relationship. We also have a very successful committee and there are a few of its members here who are always examining, teasing out and prioritising these particular issues.

I will pick up on a few points. What Senator Cassells related about voids was scary and disappointing. I contacted the local authority in my area of Dún Laoghaire. Five beautiful old red-brick cottages are empty this week. That is unbelievable when we have a housing crisis. Dún Laoghaire is one of the most beautiful villages in Ireland. We really have a problem and we must have a monthly review and publication of voids data because we must keep the pressure on. Having said that, I acknowledge the work of the chief executives of local authorities who have worked exceedingly hard and well. I also thank our city and county councillors. Need I remind Members how exceptionally hard they work for so little? They responded amazingly but also went far beyond their work in local communities as the public face of many councils. I salute them for the work they have done.

I wish the Minister well with his affordable housing Bill, which is exceptionally promising. The committee will meet for pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill on Tuesday week and hopefully we will get through it quickly. I suggest the Minister commit to initiating that legislation in the Seanad. Covid and all the restrictions impact not only on business and communities but also on Members and how we in the Houses of the Oireachtas do our work. We must get these Bills moving. I suggest the Land Development Agency Bill, which has great potential to deliver affordable homes and affordable rental properties, and the affordable housing Bill be initiated through this House. I know the Minister is committed to that process.I want to address one final matter, namely, An Bord Pleanála. There is an unbelievable situation where we have talked for three or four years about Rebuilding Ireland and e-planning. We have no comprehensive e-planning process. I picked up the phone to An Bord Pleanála on Friday and again today. I was told that I could not make a submission to the board and leave it in the letterbox after 5.30 p.m. because it would be invalidated even though it was in order and had a cheque. An Bord Pleanála told me that I could not pay online. I did not even have an objection but I knew someone who wanted to submit one and set it up. That is madness.

Some local authorities have no colour scanners or no proper IT systems. We have been promised an e-planning system for years and it simply does not exist. The board also told me last week that it was waiting for legislation and that it has trialled an e-planning system, which has been going on for two or three years. It says there is a legislative impediment to rolling it out. The Minister clearly has to tease it out with the board. We need to prioritise an e-planning system. We talked before about consultation and engagement with the planning process.

I conclude with a call from city and county councillors. Their major concern is about public engagement in county and city development plans. We now have a situation where local authorities, including the one I live in in Dún Laoghaire, cannot even see the plans. They have to make appointments. The place is shut. They are planning to do a public consultation in the terminal building. I do not want to be too specific to that council since, all over the country, local authorities are not open to allow this, which is understandable because of Covid. That highlights the importance of e-planning and technology in the planning sector. I ask the Minister to prioritise this and give his attention to it.