Senator Doherty has made a strong case on this issue. I will raise the matter with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, as the Pyrite Resolution Board is within his portfolio. I know that he has done a lot of work on the issue to date. It is an important issue. The Senator has raised a valid point that it was a different time economically when the proposals were drafted and approved. I empathise with all families affected, especially those in the autumn of their lives when they should be taking some time for themselves an…

I thank Senators Crowe and Murphy for putting down this Commencement matter. First, I will give the historical context. In 2015, a Galway local government committee unanimously recommended the establishment of a new unified Galway authority on the basis that it would maximise the potential of the region to maintain, secure and grow a sustainable economic base into the future, by combining the respective strengths of the two existing authorities in terms of resources, staff and expertise. On foot of that recommendat…

I thank both Senators for putting down the Commencement matter and their outline of the financial circumstances that pertain in both local authorities. Before the budgetary process, I met the city manager and their team as well as the county manager and their team in respect of the pressures on discretionary funding from our parking, swimming pools and leisure facilities. Both are very progressive and we look forward to working with them in the future and working with both Senators. The context and the discussions …

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this important issue. The national planning framework, NPF, published in 2018, sets out the Government's overarching strategic planning approach underpinning the sustainable development of urban and rural areas in Ireland to the period 2040. To articulate the broad context of the NPF in clear and understandable terms, the framework contains the national planning objectives, NPO, to guide and inform the planning process. National planning objective 15 of the NPF fully commits to…

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this Commencement matter. The review has commenced. Coming from a rural constituency, I am very keen to protect the integrity of rural planning and to ensure that it is sustainable. That is key. We must think about the response to the judgment and what it will mean. The national planning framework provides great scope for rural communities, with plans for 50% of growth to take place outside the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, EMRA, region and for regional areas to grow t…

I thank the Senator and Senators Moynihan and Bacik for giving me the opportunity to address this matter in the House. On his appointment, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien, undertook a review of co-living development. This work was prioritised among many other important matters. Further to that review it was indicated in a letter dated 23 November 2020 to all local authorities, An Bord Pleanála and the Office of the Planning Regulator that the preferred approach was to restric…

I thank the Senators for giving us the opportunity to clarify the matter. Within six months of coming into office, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has acted within the full powers available to him. I think this is key here. The law is the law. The law is very robust in the context of the planning authorities. The Minister has acted as best he can under the powers available to him but also having regard to the integrity of An Bord Pleanála and the planning system. Obviously, retrospective treatment of the planning law…

The essential role played by local authorities in our lives has never been more evident than during the Covid-19 crisis. They have provided real local leadership across the country and have helped communities to work together in these exceptional and difficult times. They have maintained virtually all of their services, even during lockdowns, and have played key roles in supporting local businesses and protecting vulnerable people in our communities. Some €900 million was set aside by the Government in 2020 to prov…

We are working through the submissions that came in from the public consultation on the wind energy guidelines. We are working with the Department of the Minister, Deputy Ryan. There were more than 500 submissions. Some of them were very technical in nature. It was aimed to have a draft before Christmas. That was not possible but we are still working through it and I hope it will be published shortly.

The Department is currently embarking on a review of sustainable rural housing. The previous one was carried out in 2005. When one looks at the annual report of the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, in the majority of counties the approval rating for planning permission for one-off houses is almost 90%. We carried out an analysis of County Limerick, where there were significant complaints, and it transpired that only 8% of planning applications for rural areas were withdrawn and 85% were approved. We will carr…

Regarding the limited circumstances of horticultural peat and the mushroom industry, planning is facilitated in the Department. We are hoping, further to discussion with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to make it exempt from planning and that the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, would regulate it under the Environmental Protection Agency Act. There is an issue with legislating for retrospective environmental impact assessment, EIA, and we are in discussions about that.

No.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter and providing an opportunity for me to clarify this very important position. As the Senator is aware, there is an urgent need to increase national housing supply to meet existing housing demand to the greatest extent possible in the shortest time possible, while also accommodating projected national housing demand likely to arise as a result of future population growth. Anticipated population growth is projected to be around 1 million people by 2040. The national planning…

I will certainly do that. I thank Senator Keogan again for her response. The national planning framework was underpinned by the key actors in terms of the methodology in devising population growth and the ESRI was central to that. The NPF is a roadmap for the delivery of planning and sustainable growth in our country over the next number of decades. Central to that, and this is clearly mapped out and articulated in the NPF, are our five cities and growth centres. There is significant capacity for growth in the regi…

I thank the Deputy for raising this and articulating a strong case. Project Ireland 2040, which was launched by the Government on 16 February 2018, is the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of Ireland. It includes a detailed capital investment plan for the period 2018 to 2027, the national development plan, NDP, 2018-27, and the 20-year national planning framework, NPF. The principles of the NPF are underpinned by the NDP, a ten-year, €116 billion capital inv…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It gives me an opportunity to commend all the local authorities such as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for bringing forward such quality projects to bring life into these very important areas. Deputy Richmond clearly outlined Dundrum's scale and potential and how this project is key to unlocking its potential. I look forward to working with him in coming weeks, in conjunction with the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien. These projects are the life blood…

I thank Deputy Carey for raising the issue of this very important application under the urban regeneration and development fund. He has consistently raised the merits of this project with my office over recent months. Project Ireland 2040, which was launched by the Government on 16 February 2018, is the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of Ireland. It includes a detailed capital investment plan for the period from 2018 to 2027, the National Development Plan …

I thank Deputy Carey and the Ceann Comhairle. I acknowledge the great amount of work the Deputy has put into supporting this project and into articulating its merits. My office has received numerous items of correspondence specifically outlining how important this project is to Ennis and its merits. I assure the Deputy that all his representations will be taken on board. This is obviously a key funding stream for rural Ireland and we hope that we can complete the jigsaw, as the Deputy has put it. It is very importa…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to update the House on the LDA and its role in the use of State lands. The programme for Government commits to the State playing a greater role in providing affordable and social homes, with a focus on low and middle-income earners and developing sustainable mixed-tenure communities. These principles guide housing policy as well as the agency's work in assembling strategic sites in urban areas and ensuring the sustainable development of social…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic. The LDA will actively manage the development of public land in a way that will make a major contribution to tackling the root causes of our housing issues. Broadly in line with the NESC report, it will make a substantial contribution to the achievement of wider Government targets for social housing and housing delivery in general. The agency has significant potential to play a wider role, not only in addressing pressures in the housing sector in the short-to-medi…