I thank Deputy Cian O'Callaghan for bringing forward this Bill. I can confirm that the Government has agreed not to oppose it. As we all know, due to Covid-19, the past 12 months have been very challenging for the housing sector, with delivery impacted by restrictions introduced to protect public health. However, despite the challenges brought about by the onset of Covid in 2020, construction proved resilient and the year finished with the completion of just over 20,000 new dwellings. A total of 7,827 new homes, in…

As the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, stated at the outset, to give this topic the attention it deserves would take more than is available to us today so many actions will speak a lot louder than words. I genuinely welcome the opportunity that has been provided by Deputies to discuss the private rental sector. I look forward to debating this topic further when the Government publishes its Housing for All plan and again when the Minister introduces the housing and residential tenancies Bill. The Government believ…

I thank the Deputy for her question. Similar to other sectors, the local authority sector will continue to make available flexible working, remote working and family-friendly arrangements that facilitate work-life balance while ensuring the delivery of all local authority services. Consideration of family-friendly working practices is particularly important in ensuring that elected councils are fully representative of the constituents they serve. In this regard, on 20 October 2020, a ministerial order was signed by…

I thank the Deputy. It is great news that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is reflective of society at large. It is important to have a gender balance in our local authorities that reflects the communities they serve. Councillor Lorraine Hall is on our committee. On foot of the Moorhead report’s recommendations on the non-pay items, we have established a sub-group to examine maternity benefit for elected representatives. Elected representatives are officeholders, not employees, which means they are different under employment…

I thank the Deputy for her comments. As she rightly stated, flexibility is so important for our local authority workers. They can avail of many family-friendly, supported policies that will be enhanced and continued. We are talking about career breaks, flexible working, the work-sharing scheme, parental leave, paternity leave, parent's leave, maternity leave, carer's leave and associated policies. They are so important in supporting our local authority workers. The Deputy referred to the right to disconnect. That, …

The climate action plan 2019 reaffirmed the important role of planning and the national planning framework in supporting national decarbonisation objectives. A top priority of the national planning framework is compact growth and its inter-relationship with sustainable mobility and transport. Compact growth is also a strategic response to counteract urban sprawl, which results in a high carbon footprint due to demands on transport and energy, mostly based on fossil fuels. Along with minimising transport demand, hig…

The initial question referred to the overall strategy for the decarbonisation of society. Action 165 of the climate action plan specifically requires the identification of one location or area in a local authority that will be subject to a plan for a decarbonisation zone. Thereafter, follow-up steps could include harnessing the potential to develop a low-carbon town project for future calls under the climate action fund. The early progression of decarbonisation projects harnesses a range of technologies and incenti…

I accept the question from the floor. It is difficult to comment, given that I do not have in front of me the detail on a particular town and I am talking about the broader policy. I will engage with the Department and revert to the Deputy on the matter. As I stated, each local authority was mandated to put forward one area for selection as a decarbonisation zone. We can discuss Drogheda into the future and see what we can derive from that. It is important that these plans be well connected, although I appreciate t…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 44 together. While our towns and villages have shown remarkable resilience through the recent crisis, they require specific policy supports to ensure they will continue to function as viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live, work and raise families, to act and serve as cultural and recreational hubs for the surrounding areas and to facilitate social and community interaction. In this context, the programme for Government committed to developing the Town Ce…

Living towns and the hubs to which the Deputy has referred will be key elements and tenets of what we do as we assess what will assist workers and communities and as we develop a sustainable model to grow our towns. We have had a number of bilateral engagements with the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, and her Department with a view to expanding the network of remote working hubs. As the Deputy referenced, a number have already been established. I understand that the Minister has put …

I thank Deputy Higgins for her comments, for articulating aspects of the affordable housing Bill and for all her good work on the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. She has been very articulate on it. On the comments of the other Members, Deputy Stanton has raised the issue of derelict homes on a number of occasions. We have a stick approach in the form of the vacant sites levy. It was 3% of the market valuation until 2018 and has increased to 7% for sites listed on local authority vacant si…

I thank the Deputy for his question. My Department is focused on a review of the 2006 wind energy development guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects, including sound or noise, visual amenity setback distances, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. Almost 500 submissions were received in response to a public consultation undertaken as part of a strategic environmental assessment, SEA, of the draft guidelines, many of which were very detailed and technica…

As the Deputy articulated, significant changes have occurred in recent years. Working in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, our Department has been trying to arrive at a response that is fair to communities. We are clear on the need for communities to have protection, but we must ensure a balance so that we also meet our renewable energy targets. The work is still ongoing, but it is very technical. The changes in respect of the noise issue comprise the last major piece o…

It is clear in the first instance that, through the climate action plan and the national planning framework, counties should provide clarity in terms of where they will achieve their targets in order to meet our national climate action obligations. Those targets can be achieved through a large number of renewable energy options, for example, biomass, solar farms and wind energy. It is up to counties to be specific. The Office of the Planning Regulator is an independent office. The planning regulator's job is to exa…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the draft National Marine Planning Framework, a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 24th March, 2021. With the introduction of the national marine planning framework, followed closely by the maritime area planning Bill and the maritime jurisdiction Bill and, in the near future, the expansion of our network of marine protected areas, we will experience a seismic change in how we manage and protect our maritime area. This is an historic development, providing a new way of …

I thank all Members for their contributions to the debate. I wish to strongly respond to what has been said and point to the consultation that has taken place on the Bill. The Government has prioritised this area. We can see that by the action it took in setting up the stakeholder advisory group composed of almost 50 different actors from various sectors, including fisheries. There was robust engagement with them. The engagement was carried out on a regional basis over several years. I cannot be held to account for…

I thank the Deputies who contributed to this debate on the Planning and Development, Heritage and Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2021. Ireland’s heritage, including that which is built, natural, cultural and linguistic, tangible and intangible, is of fundamental importance to all aspects of our society, identity, well-being and economy. However, our heritage faces many challenges, including those stemming from land use change, climate change and biodiversity loss, dereliction and a lack of awareness of the value of …

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)( a ) and 181(1).

I thank all the Members who spoke. I genuinely appreciate the valuable responses that have been made, as the Acting Chairman noted. It is important that we have this debate. I acknowledge the frustration with the speed of the Bill's progression. We offered extensive oral and written briefings and carried them out with the joint committee. Common threads in the contributions that have been made are normality and certainty. It is very difficult to have full normal parliamentary mechanisms in a pandemic when we rely o…

I acknowledge the genuine and well-meaning nature of the contributions. In response to Senator Craughwell, this is strictly on the advice of the Attorney General. He is the constitutional officer from whom the Government must take its advice. He is trying to balance the property rights in the Constitution with the rights of very vulnerable people who are renting and have experienced a loss in their income as a direct result of Covid-19. The State supports have been ramped up to meet that. I believe over €11 billion…