Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach agus leis an Seanadóir, agus athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir. I might not be able to answer all of the questions the Senator has put to me. I have taken a note of them and I will try to get to him with some of the responses. I will address the overall issue of vacancy in Limerick, which is the core issue. Addressing vacancy and maximising the use of existing housing stock is a primary objective of the Government, as demonstrated by one of the four pathways dedicate…

As I have said, I am unable to give a response to all of the supplementary questions that the Senator has asked during this Commencement debate. In terms of regeneration, I visited the project in Limerick and it is one of the most ambitious projects in the country. The Senator has made an important point about young single people aged 25 to 45, and trying to get them into sustainable housing is critically important. There are solutions, and we can look at Limerick city centre as we are looking throughout the countr…

As a Kilkenny man, I am very fond of west Cork. It is a part of the country I am very familiar with. On the issue in Castletownshend, it is simply unacceptable that we have raw sewage discharging into watercourses. It is something this Government is determined to address. We have had a number of these issues raised consistently by Deputies. We need to make significant progress over the next number of years. The Deputy will appreciate that, since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspec…

As I said, the experience across the country is that small towns that are primed for growth are being held back because of a lack of adequate infrastructure. The Minister and I are determined to work towards resolution of these issues with Irish Water. As I said, the local authorities and Irish Water need to work together to try to ensure this infrastructure is in place. We have put in place significant capital funding for Irish Water. There are other issues with Irish Water in terms of moving towards a single publ…

Amendment No. 1 seeks to delay the commencement of significant parts of the Bill until such time as the national marine planning framework is reviewed. The review of the NMPF was discussed in detail on Dáil Committee Stage. As pointed out then, the NMPF is the first of a series of interconnected and related spatial plans for the maritime area. It is illogical to pause the commencement of the Bill for the review of the marine spatial plan, which was only published in July. This Government takes marine management, de…

I disagree with the Senator. The Government has committed to and ensured in the drafting of this Bill that this and marine protected areas would be inter-related. The NPWS has been centrally involved in this process, as has the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. All of this is an interconnected framework that we have to move forward with. It is critically important for biodiversity as well as for decarbonisation. We have given a commitment to carry out a review sooner and that commitment is …

There was much discussion on Committee Stage in the Dáil around public consultation and the need to exclude certain periods. This is consistent with the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Section 54 of the Bill also provides that the Minister may, by regulations, specify further public holidays. On the passage of this Bill, my Department will begin preparing all relevant regulations to support it. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, has already committed to discussing these regulations, when draf…

As I said, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, has already made a commitment in respect of that level of engagement with the Oireachtas joint committee. That commitment is worthwhile.

We can give some consideration to that matter.

This was already addressed on Committee Stage in the Dáil. There is no requirement to conflate the marine spatial planning directive with the marine strategy framework directive in one piece of enabling legislation. Indeed, the most recent global international guide on maritime spatial planning prepared by UNESCO and the EU Commission and published this year reinforces the distinction between these two maritime governance tools. Both directives will need to be provided for in the Statute Book. We know that and we a…

Section 2 of the Bill provides for interpretations. The proposed amendment would limit the range of bodies that could be prescribed for certain functions in regulations by providing a limited interpretation in section 2. The appropriate place to expand the list of prescribed bodies for certain functions will be in the regulations. My Department will begin preparing all relevant regulations to support this legislation once this Bill is passed. I will add that all the bodies listed in the amendment were engaged at th…

Senator Cummins has pretty much summed up my response. In response to Senator Higgins, I repeat that the functions around prescribed bodies will be in the regulations. When we are talking about outdated consultation methods, we are really talking about consulting with a prescribed body for a prescribed period. That work is done. It is open and closed. We are providing for a longitudinal process that is inclusive and continuous. We are ensuring it is as broad as possible. The list can only be amended by primary legi…

I thank the Senators for their contributions. The marine planning policy statement is a high-level document that sets out the Government’s principles and priorities for maritime planning. Section 6(5) of the Bill sets out a brief list of the high-level policy framework that will be taken into account when preparing the statement. However, this list is not exhaustive and any matters that inform this high-level policy document will be considered. Heritage is one of the many areas that will be considered as part of th…

In relation to Senator Boyhan's point, I wish to give that commitment. The Senator is correct. The national marine planning framework has a dedicated chapter on heritage assets. The language used is that the Minister must have regard to it when preparing a marine planning policy statement. Whatever the current policy is, when the policy statement is prepared or whenever Heritage Ireland 2030 is implemented, it must have regard to the national marine planning framework. I am giving that assurance and I hope it is su…

I again want to give assurances to the Senator. The recommendation is not referenced and it would not be appropriate to include it here. Section 6(5)(h) of the Bill requires the Minister to have regard to any current policy of the Government. The specific line refers to the current policy of Government relating to maritime planning and that would likely include any EU recommendation on integrated coastal zone management. I hope that gives assurance to the Senator.

The marine planning policy statement is a high-level document that sets out the Government's principles and priorities for maritime planning. Section 6(5) sets out a brief list of the high-level policy framework that will be taken into account when preparing this statement. However, this list is not exhaustive. Of course, any matters that inform the high-level policy document will be considered. Similarly, section 8 applies to ministerial guidelines and any amendments to those guidelines. In that regard, I will be …

Regarding section 10, where the Minister proposes to prepare, amend or revoke the marine planning policy statement, he or she shall publish a notice, which is among the three items the Minister needs to publish, in not less than one national newspaper inviting members of the public to make representations in writing thereon to the Minister not later than four weeks after the date of publication of the notice in the newspaper or if the notice is published in more than one such newspaper, the last date of publication…

That includes the Oireachtas.

I thank both Senators and agree with them on public consultation and how hugely important it is. Senator Boyhan and I have spoken on a number of occasions in this Chamber about the importance of good, robust public engagement and how that brings about better outcomes for all parties. That is something we agree on. However, I consider that much of what is proposed in these amendments would be more appropriately addressed in secondary legislation. When the Bill is passed, my Department will commence the preparation o…

I would like to again address the Senators' queries and their concerns about the issue of public consultation. It is our view that this could be addressed by secondary legislation via regulations. That is what we are saying. We will commence the preparation of regulations which will include, as I stated in the opening statement on this particular amendment, detail on public consultation. What is in the legislation is there as a minimum. It is not limited to that. I am giving assurance to the Members present this af…