The proposed measure to temporarily disapply the Part 8 planning approval process to facilitate the accelerated delivery of housing supply is subject to the satisfaction of several conditions: the land is owned by the local authority or another State body; the land is zoned for residential development; the proposed development does not materially convene the development plan or local area plan for the area; the land is serviced or can be serviced with the necessary supporting infrastructure or facilities within the…

I thank the Senators for their contributions. On the Government amendments, I note the huge challenge we are facing with homelessness and the Ukrainian citizens here. We must ensure we provide a strong and robust Government response and international protection. These Government amendments seek to temporarily disapply the Part 8 planning approval process for local authority developments, specifically for housing, to try to meet that demand. I understand that 38 different projects and sites have been volunteered by …

I cannot accept amendment No. 1 as provision for virtual or blended meetings of the board is an efficiency measure to facilitate the board in processing its caseload. It is consistent with other recent statutory initiatives, such as the holding of annual general meetings virtually, through the Companies Act 2014. It is not intended to create a distinction between an in-person, virtual or blended board meeting by having different meeting arrangements for such meetings. I will not be accepting amendment No. 2 either …

I thank the Senators for their contributions. It is important to ensure the public has confidence in the integrity and consistency of An Bord Pleanála. Under this Bill and, in particular, the new planning and development Bill we will bring forward next year, we are implementing significant reform of the board. This is being done in response to the first report of the Office of the Planning Regulator. We await its second report, the recommendations of which we hope to encompass in the new Bill. That legislation will…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion, which recommends the appointment of four ordinary members of the Electoral Commission, An Coimisiún Toghcháin. An Coimisiún Toghcháin will be a statutory, independent body and indeed, the motion before the House reflects an coimisiún's accountability to the Oireachtas. An coimisiún will take on a broad range of existing and new electoral functions. As a specialised body, it will bring about a more cohesive and efficient administration of electoral functions in Irel…

I thank Members for their contribution on the motion. I wish the nominees the very best on their appointment to the President. I will respond to a few concerns and statements by some of the Senators. In regard to the electoral register which Senator Kyne raised, the Act provides for the extensive modernisation of the electoral register. These provisions were commenced in October. Local authorities still have full responsibility in compiling the register. Obviously the Electoral Commission will oversee the register.…

While the three bodies are merging, the functions will not change. I understand that is not the concern of the Senators but, rather, the concern is that the functions will retain their importance, in particular the OSI and its archives and important history. It is a unique facility. I expect the new body will respect that. Section 37 states that all records will transfer over and I expect that will be done in a professional manner and the archives will be protected for posterity. I have heard what the Senators have…

All pension rights will be maintained. I am sure people's functions and skills will be treated in a similar manner. We cannot put that into legislation because some people will look for promotion in areas that may not be their normal area of work. I have no doubt that their skills will be recognised.

The section will be interpreted broadly. As somebody who in another life was involved in a number of boundary disputes at the Bar, I know the importance of all of those little pieces of evidence going back through history.

I again put on record of the House my appreciation for all the Members of all various different parties and Independents who contributed to framing these proposals for maternity leave for our councillors. Since my appointment, this has been a significant gap and I am happy now that we have taken this journey to ensure that we have this very important reform. I know from dealing with so many councillors right across the country that it had been a huge concern, principally because - which is totally abhorrent in a mo…

I thank everyone for their warm comments. A number of female councillors from all parties and none were involved at the very core of this process. Groups like Women for Election, See Her Elected and the Women's Council of Ireland have all been involved in trying to frame this legislation and assist me going through the process. Laura Mannion from the Department was central in working with many of the groups and getting these proposals together. I thank everyone. I say to Deputy Matthews that in consultation with CC…

I will address amendments Nos. 45 to 48, inclusive. These amendments to the Bill are intended to amend the Foreshore Act 1933 in order to ensure there is no doubt over the definition of the foreshore and that the Act can operate as it always has. This includes requiring a foreshore licence for the lawful undertaking of geophysical and geotechnical surveying. Many licences have been applied for, assessed and consented on that basis in recent years. The existing consent process includes assessments required under the…

I thank the Deputies for their views, some of which were very contrasting. I value them greatly. The Bill is a response to an EU infringement case and is a key environmental management tool to which we are trying to respond. This is focused on large-scale abstractions. The ESB and Irish Water would be required to register for all the major abstractions they carry out. Therefore, it is for really significant abstractions. Some 99% of water abstractions in the country are covered by these mechanisms which is a very s…

Dung can be very useful.

Hear, hear.

Correct.

The Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Bill 2022 is a significant milestone in Ireland’s overall environmental protection measures. The critical Bill sets out a system of controls on the abstraction and impoundment of water to protect our water environment and to ensure compliance with Ireland’s responsibilities under the water framework directive. This forms part of Ireland’s response to the European Commission infringement proceedings in the field of water policy. The process of drafting…

I welcome all the groups to the Gallery. On behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, I thank Deputies who have contributed to the debate. We can all agree that many homeowners and residents of apartments and duplexes have found themselves in a difficult, stressful position when defects arise in their buildings through no fault of their own. As the Minister stated on a number of occasions in this House, the Government is determined to grasp this nettle. We are committed to providing support to a…

The RTB was established as a quasi-judicial, independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2022 to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. A dispute may be referred to the RTB under Part 6 of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2022. Information is available on www.rtb.ie with regard to the board's dispute resolution service. If a tenant seeks to resolve a tenancy dispute via the RTB's adjudication servic…

I cannot comment on specific cases but on the broad policy, the RTB has its budget, which has been increased significantly, and it has staff. It also has a panel of solicitors which it can deal with to support tenants in the District Court. It has almost €1 million of a budget to deal with that specifically and it takes 400 cases in that regard every single year. The law is strong on pursuing landlords and tenants alike on issues of non-compliance. There is also a range of Acts that can enforce fines and that can p…