I thank Senators for engaging in the debate. We will have my speech circulated. I understood that it had been but we will rectify that forthwith. I thank everyone for their contributions on the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022 and for facilitating its swift passage through the House. As I mentioned in my opening speech, the purpose of the Bill is to amend the substitute consent process which concerns retrospective EIA or AA in exceptional circumstances by removing the initial leave-to-apply st…

I thank the Deputies for tabling this motion and the valuable contributions they have made in the process of doing so. As set out in Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, the Government believes that everybody should have access to good-quality housing to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and located close to essential services, offering a high quality of life. We understand that the provision of more affordable housing has a profound benefit socially and economically. We beli…

I thank the Deputy for her ongoing interest in pursuing the very important issue of water quality in Dublin Bay. In order to protect water quality in the bay, work is under way to upgrade and enhance Irish Water's management of the city's wastewater networks and treatment plants. In addition, the Dublin local authorities are collaborating on projects to improve the management of surface water catchments around the bay. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has also requested the national bathing w…

I thank the Deputy for her intervention. As a public representative in the area she should be front and centre in providing information and in any ongoing public consultation or advice that residents are looking for. I will raise what the Deputy has mentioned about his letter with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. It is hard to get my head around it when I am reading it at pace but I will bring it to his attention. I have outlined the three areas around the broader context of Dublin Bay, the bathing water exper…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and for the opportunity to provide an update on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department provides funding to local authorities to support a broad range of housing programmes, including the delivery of new social homes through build, acquisition and leasing of new social housing, remediation of existing social housing stock and the regeneration of other areas of disadvantage. Through the significant funding made available…

I thank the Senator for her query on this very important project. I will raise it with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, as well to ensure it gets maximum attention in the Department. As the Senator pointed out, a decade is a long timescale for any project. However, we are assured the Part 8 portion will be ready midway through this year and the timescale for the completion of the project is mid-2025. We reaffirmed those deadlines with the Department. If there is any delay on the projections given, we will reve…

I thank Senator Kyne for his Commencement matter, which is key and very important in terms of raising the priority of affordable housing within the Department and in the context of Galway city and County Galway. The Housing for All strategy sets out a very strong target of 54,000 affordable home interventions between now and 2030. As the Senator quite rightly pointed out, Galway has to take its share of this projection. Delivery of affordable housing, in accordance with the scheme set out in the Affordable Housing …

I understand the urgency on the ground for affordable housing and also private housing. People must have a clear pathway to get the chance to own the keys to their new home for the first time. From 2023, Galway County Council will have a number of options for affordable housing. The 85 units in Merlin Woods in Galway City Council will be important to underwrite that capacity. We will prioritise it as much as we can. With regard to the engagement, other funds like Croí Cónaithe will make it easier to bring derelict …

I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the Regulation of Providers of Buildings Works Bill 2022 to the Seanad. Many examples of building failure as a result of non-compliance with building regulations have come to light in recent years and may continue to emerge due to the absence of regulation in the construction sector. This contributed significantly to the large number of buildings constructed in Ireland which did not comply with statutory minimum standards of design and construction as set out in the b…

I thank the Acting Chairperson.

I acknowledge the Senators’ contributions on the Bill, which is very important legislation, as they rightly pointed out. In the first instance, I acknowledge that we will bring forward amendments on Committee Stage to provide that certain members of the board shall be recruited through the Public Appointments Service, a point that was raised during the Dáil Committee Stage. It is a very important point that we are happy to comply with. We shall also ensure that the following shall nominate members: the Irish Congre…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (Number 2) Regulations 2022, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 23rd March, 2022. I welcome the opportunity to present these proposed Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 to the Deputies today. They are aimed at amending provisions in the principal Planning and Development Regulations 2001 concerning development that i…

As regards the points raised by Deputy Ó Broin, these regulations can be interchangeable in terms of existing properties or new properties the HSE may require within the two-year period for discharging its functions in respect of Covid-19. On the other specific issue he raised, relating to permanency, it is absolutely the current intention for this to be temporary and emergency in nature. As regards the remarks of Deputy Nash, vacancy is a significant issue and I absolutely get that. That is why through our town ce…

I thank the Deputies for tabling the motion. I welcome the opportunity to restate the Government’s commitment to children with disabilities and their families. It was just three weeks ago that children's disabilities services were also the subject of a Private Members' motion. On that occasion, my colleagues, the Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Butler, articulated the challenges, merits and, indeed, faults in the provision of disability services for children in Ireland today. I can say without fear of con…

I thank the Deputies for their opening remarks. The Government will not support this Private Members' Bill which seeks to make changes to the exemptions that exist in relation to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The primary objective of Part V is to ensure an adequate supply of housing for all sectors of the existing and future population. In this regard, Part V allows local authorities to purchase a percentage of land at existing use value, which is less than the enhanced market value, and use this…

I apologise that I missed the start of the debate. I was in the middle of a planning advisory forum meeting and I had to depart from that because the Dáil schedule accelerated. I do not come in here to defend things just for the sake of doing it; I need to believe in it in the first instance. That is core to me as a politician. The Deputy has cited a specific example that is unfolding before his eyes. If this proposal were enacted without any due diligence, it would have an effect on the entire country. We will nee…

I have already made my contribution. I will report back; I cannot do any more than that. As I have said, I need to have due diligence on a change like that for one specific example. Oodles of bad laws have been made by making a national change as a result of one specific example. I just need to look at it more thoroughly. I think that is fair.

I always come back. I am not going away.

The implementation of a land value sharing measure represents an important step in the delivery of sustainable housing. The 2020 programme for Government committed to reviewing how community gain could be captured through the development process. The Housing for All policy includes a commitment to develop land value sharing measures to ensure that additional land value, which results from the zoning or designation, and the granting of planning permission, will be shared in a fairer way with the State and that commu…

The State is serious about several measures it is taking in this context. The land value sharing tax will be a significant measure in driving the share to the State up to 50%, potentially, when it is included with the affordability mechanisms introduced by the Minister. The Deputy will also be aware of the residential zoned land tax, whereby mapping procedures are now under way throughout the State. It was also included in the Finance Act 2021. Additionally, the Law Reform Commission is preparing a report regarding…