Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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505. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on the marine protected areas legislation, including a date when he expects to publish the Bill. [63744/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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On 13 December 2022 the Government approved the General Scheme of the Marine Protected Areas Bill 2022. The General Scheme was published on 16 December 2022 and is available via the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/2fd71-general-scheme-of-marine-protected-areas-bill-2022/

Drafting is now commencing with a view to publishing the Bill at the earliest opportunity in 2023. With this in mind, I wrote to the Joint Oireactas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 13 January 2023 to request the commencement of pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill as soon as possible.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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506. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on the legislation for a directly elected mayor in Limerick. [63745/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 506 and 542 together.

The Government approved the General Scheme of a Bill providing for a directly elected mayor for Limerick at its meeting of 20 April 2021. The Government also approved the publication of the General Scheme and its referral both to the Oireachtas for pre-legislative scrutiny and to the Office of the Attorney General for priority drafting of a Bill.

The Joint Oireachtas Committee for Housing, Local Government and Heritage published its Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme in November 2021.

My Department is engaging with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in relation to the drafting of this complex Bill and its publication has been identified as a priority as soon as practicable. Drafting of this legislation is well advanced and the Bill will be progressed having regard to the overall government legislative programme.