You have the full slot.

The Bill deals with all aspects of planning. It is the framework. It will cover urban, rural and towns - the entire spectrum. We are discussing planning in the overall context. It will apply to all locations, urban and rural. I wish to make that point of clarification.

No doubt to the interest.

The Deputy can write to me in confidence.

CEO.

I do not know the Deputy's cousin Vinny but I know of a film called "My Cousin Vinny".

The Deputy is forgetting that Vinny won the case.

Vinny won the case.

I thank all Deputies for their engagement. I believe we have had roughly seven hours of debate. I thank the officials in the Department and the planning officials here who have done an extraordinary body of work. That has to go on the record. Deputy Fitzmaurice is still in the House. I shall approach my response through the Bill itself. It is important to say that while the Deputy may have a frustration there are rural houses being built. That needs to be said.

We want people to live in rural Ireland. We want the schools to be populated. We want rural towns and rural villages to do well. Under European Union law we must comply with the habitats directive. We are currently doing an update on the national planning framework. We are meeting with the planning advisory forum, which I chair. We have a body of work commissioned with the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, looking at population trends based on the census. The ESRI will provide us with an update on that …

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)( a ) and 181(1).

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for bringing forward this Bill. As he stated, the Government will not be opposing the Bill and will allow it to progress for detailed debate on Committee Stage. In preparation for this, I have gone through the Bill quite forensically with the officials in order to see where we stand. I will go through a couple of aspects. It must be recognised that the legal grounds for termination of tenancies provided in the table to section 34 of the 2004 Act, as amended, including ground 3 whereby a l…

Based on a sample.

May I speak for a second?

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for his Bill. We are not opposing the Bill and we want to engage. I mention the empirical evidence that has been provided to us to date. The Government has noted that we are allowing the Bill to proceed to scrutiny by the relevant committee. However, the Government has noted that the reliance on the exemption has caused few disputes or referrals to the RTB. From information provided by the RTB on a small number of dispute referrals, no landlord has been able to satisfy the RTB that, first…

I thank the Chair. I am delighted to be here for this debate. I thank Senators Boyhan, Craughwell and Keogan for tabling the motion. I commend all Members in the House on their advocacy for both councils and local government. I acknowledge LAMA and the AILG for their advocacy. I have met with their representatives on many occasions. The work they do on behalf of their members is very important. I wish to inform Senators that the Government has agreed not to oppose this motion. I propose to go through some general i…

I am. That is under a different Act so it would not apply. Is that the Department of Transport?

I will inquire about that.

Senator Craughwell made a point about broadband and expenses incurred. I am going to look at the LRA allowance specifically on that. I gave a commitment on that particular issue. Senator Fitzpatrick made reference to the executive and a directly elected mayor. In the Limerick situation, I have gone back to what the people voted for. Fundamentally, we are democrats and, fundamentally, I have been true to what they voted for. The one thing I have done in the Bill, which came out of the IAG review group in Limerick, i…

Yes, absolutely. Senator Gallagher made a point. I look forward to the deliberations from Senator Mark Daly's public consultation committee and look forward to working with Senators on that. Senator O'Loughlin said we should ensure more people go for election to local authorities. I was elected a councillor many years ago in 2004. I hugely value the role of councillors. I have said on many occasions that I would not be here today only for councillors. When I lost my seat in 2016, they gave me the privilege of being…