The duration of a planning permission is generally set at five years, but the planning authority may grant shorter or longer durations with a maximum duration of ten years available for residential development, for example. Section 42 of the Planning and Development Act enables a planning authority to extend the initial duration of a planning permission, providing certain conditions are met. A package of measures was introduced in September 2021 to amend section 42 and related provisions in the Planning and Develop…

They are from Stepaside. It is great to have them here. I thank the Senator. My response probably did not give him much comfort in relation to the individuals he represents. I urge them to engage, on a case-by-case basis, with their local authority planners. That is the point of contact. The Department does not have plans to introduce further legislation to extend planning permission. It is open to individuals who cannot avail of an extension of duration to reapply for planning permission. I have tremendous sympath…

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta as an gceist seo. The overarching principle of social housing support is to provide adequate housing support to those households unable to provide accommodation from their own resources. Applications for such supports are assessed by local authorities in accordance with eligibility and need criteria as set down in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated social housing assessment regulations. The regulations introduced a standard system fo…

I agree wholeheartedly with Deputy Carthy in the sense that there is a cost to the Exchequer. It is an outlay and an investment by the Exchequer in the provision of social housing. The Government has committed to and is front-loading record investment in social, affordable and cost-rental housing, more than any Government has provided in the history of the State. The Minister is deeply committed to that through Housing for All. I fully agree that social housing is not charity. Families pay rent. It has been a very …

I was aware of this issue. I had been in correspondence with a constituent about it. It seems to be an anomaly. I will give the Minister's response now, but I agree the support they provide to schools and CAMHS and critical incident support in schools is a hugely valued resource for our schools. I am taking the Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, who sends her apologies for being unable to be here this morning. The Department's National Educational Service, NEPS, provides educational and ps…

I will certainly take these issues back. As I said, the correspondence I received stated the Department is making every effort to try to address the issue of the training fees support for educational psychologists. It is an anomaly that needs to be rectified. It is critical for parity of the professions. As the Senator quite rightly said, we need those supports right across the range of services for children and young people in our schools now more than ever. They are fantastic services. They offer a great range of…

I will immediately impart our own views. I share the Senator's welcome for this decision. The BTR rules were a retrograde measure and it is important they are addressed. I will give the stock response but I will also bring the specific questions back to the Minister. I was not at the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis at the weekend, as the Senator will appreciate.

I am sure I would. I did not see or hear what my colleague, the Minister-----

-----Deputy Darragh O'Brien, said at that. Specifically in response to the question posed, the section 28 guidelines, Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments - Guidelines for Planning Authorities, published in 2018 and updated in 2020, identified BTR as a specific type of residential development for planning purposes, with some variation in resident support and amenity requirements, and dwelling mix and design standards, relative to apartments generally. These differences are set out in speci…

I thank the Senator for his supportive comments. Again, I apologise that we do not have copies of the statement. I am happy to give him my copy when we finish this morning. BTR development was, in effect, established as a separate class of development for planning purposes arising from Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments - Guidelines for Planning Authorities. The latest market data point to a period of investment in the BTR development sector that has served to establish BTR as an element…

I thank Deputy Gould for articulating the issues so well and for making some very good proposals. Supporting individuals and families facing housing challenges is a key Government priority. Housing for All commits to a housing-led approach as a primary response to all forms of homelessness and recognises that many of those experiencing homelessness have additional support needs, including addiction. The main focus of the provision of housing to those in need is social housing support, the overarching aim of which i…

I did not receive copies of it.

I do apologise.

I would be delighted if the Deputy could send that document on. We will be more than happy to work with him on that. It is a matter for the local authority concerned in terms of the services it provides and the social housing supports it put in place. As I said, a youth homelessness strategy is due to be launched later this year by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, which includes street outreach services. Under housing first, the target is an average of 264 tenancies per annum, with targets for each region. Homeless se…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I have worked with family resource centres in a voluntary capacity for many years. I agree wholeheartedly with the Deputy that they provide an invaluable service. They provide family support for children. Many have community childcare centres attached to them. We have previously spoken about addiction and recovery services. They are the backbone of many rural and urban communities. The Government greatly appreciates the valuable work of our family resource centres and the …

Different sources of funding are referred to in the response I have here. In many ways, FRCs are left chasing funding programmes and designing projects around specific funding programmes which can be a considerable task in itself. The Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, has through his work rolled out an additional seven pilot community development projects, CDPs, which are most welcome because many of them went the road under the 2009 cohesion programme. We want to specifically focus on and support those commun…

I commend Senator Clonan on tabling his first Commencement matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, who sends his apologies. Before I come to the main body of my response, I make the point that it is unfortunate that elected members feel unable to stand for re-election, for whatever reason. I spent 16 years on a local authority. There is no greater service to the community than that provided by elected members of local authorities. They carry out an invaluable role of public s…

On that issue of trust in politicians, the vast majority of those of us involved in politics are here for the right reasons. One thing I want the electoral commission to do is to restore that trust and to be involved in engagement with the public to ensure people are aware of what we do. That is critically important. I outlined a number of good reasons that section 212, which provides for a ministerial power to hold public inquiries, has never been commenced, not least of which is that its intended purpose is a pre…

I thank the Deputy for welcoming the delivery of 25 affordable homes in Castletroy. Between 2000 and 2015, Part V obligations under the Planning and Development Act allowed local authorities to avail of up to 20% of the planning gain on relevant land for social and affordable purposes. This was subsequently reduced, as the Deputy is aware, to 10% in 2015 for social housing. In line with the commitments in the programme for Government, changes to Part V were introduced under Part 6 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021…

The Deputy has raised this issue on a number of occasions. The sunset clause in respect of the pre-existing 10% social requirement for land purchased from September 2015 to August 2021 arose from a recommendation of the Housing Agency's review of Part V. The reason provided was that it would maintain near-term supply of all types of housing. The review was mindful of the delay that would attach if development plans had to be reviewed. In addition, increasing the percentage could make developments unviable where the…