The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provides funding to local authorities under the housing adaptation grants for the older people and people with a disability schemes to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. These grants are available to people with an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability, and to older people who experience mobility issues or require essential repairs to their houses so they can continue to li…

I reiterate that demand for the grants has been consistently high, which is testament to their success since first being introduced in 2007. With 136,000 grants given up to the end of 2022, a lot of people are being helped. There is no doubt there are significant challenges, as Deputy McAuliffe said, brought about largely by increased demand, with an ageing population, and the additional costs being placed on labour and materials. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is committed to ensuring the review will bring …

Generally, a Minister or Minister of State is on Front Bench cover on a given day and will take a range of questions, whether Commencement matters or Topical Issues, during that day. I am glad Deputy Quinlivan was contacted and informed the matter would not be taken by the Minister for Health or one of the Ministers of State from that Department. This issue of who responds to questions has been raised before. It is important that there be clarity for Deputies who bring forward issues, all of which are serious and i…

The Deputy made an important point with the connection between home care packages and that a significant proportion of the patients are over the age of 75. The Deputy is correct that we are talking about people's lives and that these are real and significant challenges. I will give a supplementary response on the emergency department performance at UHL. I will provide a copy to the Deputy when I conclude. The Government is committed to addressing the issues at UHL. Significant resources have been invested in UHL in…

Again, I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this motion. Before I make my closing speech, I will address some of the points made by them. Deputy Bacik raised the issue of the Bill’s delay, as did several others. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, might already have stated that the consideration of this matter is more appropriate for the Business Committee. The evidence base and meaningful contingency are issues that I will address in my closing comments. I welcome the comment of D…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 19, line 20, after “2000,” to insert “the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000,”. As the House will be aware, the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2023 was enacted in July this year following the restoration of the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 from the last Dáil. It facilitates a reconfiguration of the raised bog network, provides for a biodiversity duty on public sector bodies and places the national biodiversity action plans on a statutory footing. I indicated to the Dáil on Report Stage of the…

Amendment No. 1 refers to the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 and amendment No. 3 refers to the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2023.

Yes.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 19, line 21, after “2001,” where it secondly occurs to insert “the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011,”. Amendment No. 2 updates the Long Title to take account of amendment No. 203 which I will come to shortly. Amendment No. 110 updates the references in section 41(1) to include approved assessment notices alongside those that are already listed in the Bill relating to EIA notices. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Deputy Cian O’Callaghan, who raised a numbe…

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. These amendments were brought forward as a result of interaction on Committee Stage. The intention is to support the concerns he brought forward. We have taken the Attorney General's advice on it. It is important the eight-week period can be extended by the High Court. With these amendments, we have tried to give effect to the point Deputy Ó Snodaigh raised about decisions and ensuring urgent conservation works can still be carried out and are not delayed because of lengthy periods for i…

Yes, I think we are. This is robust and I think it deals with the concerns the Deputy brought forward on Committee Stage. If something additional is required, we are open to discussing that.

In response to amendment No. 111 proposed by Deputy Ó Snodaigh, given the discussion we have had and the amendments I brought forward to section 41, will the Deputy consider withdrawing some of the corresponding amendments? As I mentioned earlier, the amendments I proposed follow the advice of the Office of the Attorney General, arising from Deputy O'Callaghan's queries on Committee Stage. Amendment No. 111 proposes to redraft the wording of section 41(2), while maintaining the purpose of the provision. However, I …

I move amendment No. 3: In page 19, line 22, to delete “and the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021” and substitute “the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 and the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2023”.

The current Title of the Bill, as proposed by the Parliamentary Counsel, reflects the broad scope of the Bill while also focusing on a central element of the provisions contained therein. The term "historic heritage", as defined in section 2 of the Bill, encompasses a wide range of different heritage areas and interests, and I cannot see why "cultural heritage" should be listed in the Title. To do so would give an impression that cultural heritage is somehow provided for in a way that goes over and beyond other asp…

I move amendment No. 5: In page 21, to delete line 24 and substitute the following: “ “Act of 2001” means, other than in Chapter 4 of Part 13 , the Local Government Act 2001;”. This is a technical amendment to provide for the amendment of the Valuation Act 2001 in Chapter 4 of Part 13 because the "Act of 2001" has a different meaning in that Chapter in comparison with the rest of the Bill. As regards amendment No. 6, section 2 of the Bill, as it stands, contains a definition of "amenity value", which includes the s…

I again thank Deputies Ó Snodaigh and Bacik for their contributions. By way of reassurance on a point made by Deputy Ó Snodaigh, I note the fantastic work we have put in so far in our attempts to make this Bill stronger. Deputy Ó Snodaigh has done that. The Government has taken on board many of the proposals he has brought forward through our own amendments. In fact, the majority of our amendments are to give effect to addressing the concerns and points raised by Deputies and Senators. Deputy Ó Snodaigh has certain…

Does it include the definition of "archaeological object"?

I refer to the points raised by Deputy Browne and, as I said earlier, it is not the case that we have not taken on board the amendments brought forward by the Opposition. We have improved and used the concerns brought forward by those amendments and put them in with their own amendments. The majority of the amendments we are putting forward are to give effect to concerns and issues which have been brought forward on Committee Stage by Deputies. We have, with all due respect, given effect to that in trying to take o…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 21, to delete lines 28 and 29 and substitute the following: “ “amenity”, in relation to a monument or thing, includes the setting of the monument or thing, and “amenity value” shall be construed accordingly;”.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 22, line 22, after “event” to insert “, period, subject”.