Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps his Department is taking to support and encourage outdoor dining in summer 2021; the engagement he has had with the local authorities on the matter; if section 254 licence fees will be charged for outdoor furniture use by local commercial rate payers this summer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22616/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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With a view to supplementing the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Grant Scheme which was recently announced by my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media , and further to the expected easing of Covid-19 restrictions over the coming months, I presented a package of amending planning regulations to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 27 April last to assist in facilitating outdoor dining as well as increased vibrancy and commercial activity in urban areas, particularly in relation to the hospitality and restaurant sectors.

The package of regulations includes the waiving of the street furniture licence fees in respect of tables and chairs used for serving food outside hotels, restaurants, pubs and other establishments in the current year; enabling restaurants to operate as takeaways for the remainder of 2021 without having to apply for change of use planning permission; and revised planning arrangements in relation to the erection of awnings, canopies and other structures at such establishments to support outdoor dining with no fee being applied for the erection of such structures when ancillary to a street furniture licence for tables and chairs.

Further to the discussions at the Joint Oireachtas Committee and having regard to the requirements of section 262(4) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, requiring a positive resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas before such regulations can be signed into law by me as Minister, the regulations received the necessary positive resolutions in the Dail and Seanad on 28 and 30 April respectively. This enabled me to sign the package of regulations on the latter date. Detailed information on the content of the new regulations and advice on their practical implementation was communicated by my Department to planning authorities by way of Planning Circular Letter PL 06-2021 which issued on 30 April last.