I appreciate the points made by the Senator but there is a whole myriad of reasons why land with planning permission require extensions. There could have been barriers or something prohibiting the development of that land. That is the exact reason why we are introducing this legislation, to try to use every lever and tool possible to ensure we deliver as many houses at scale and as quickly as possible. The Senator's amendment seeks to introduce an amendment where a local authority is satisfied there were considerat…

I am pleased to bring the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 before the House. The main purpose of the Bill is to provide for targeted measures on a temporary basis to address unactivated permissions that are due to expire shortly, to ensure that the updated housing requirements in the revised national planning framework, NPF, can be incorporated into the planning system as quickly as possible, and to give clarity to the sector that this can be done under the Planning and Development Act 2000 while the …

In addition to the provisions the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, has outlined, the Bill also provides for amendments to the Act 2024 to clarify transitional arrangements as the planning system moves from operating under the 2000 Act to the new Act. The following approval of the revised national planning framework 2025, which will facilitate the delivery of in excess of 50,000 additional new homes per annum, there is an urgent need to ensure the updated housing requirements can be incorporated into the planning …

I am happy to join with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, and the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, to speak to this from a housing perspective because, obviously, that is another cost that is incurred by students. I want to outline what we will do in that regard. I thank all contributors to this evening's debate. The Government is very much aware of the costs that students and families may encounter when attending tertiary education. We are committed to easing the financial burden on students and their families by red…

I thank Senator Duffy for raising this matter. He is correct to say it is nuanced. I can see why he is taking the approach he is taking because, first, it is about firefighters, who put their lives at risk to keep us safe. The Senator quite rightly pointed out that the work of a councillor is full time. In many ways, all a person in this situation is trying to do is to do better. Then there is the other aspect, whereby people in similar roles, in the retained aspect of firefighting, can run for election. From that …

As I said, I will certainly bring it back to the Minister, but that said, I would take into account what I have said about how there is no plan as it stands. There are employees within the council set out under section 161(1)(b). Retained firefighters are one such group, considering the pay scale, but there.is a reason that legislation is there in terms of separation of powers and there is a good reason this legislation is in place to not allow council employees to run for election, especially those in certain pay …

I thank Senator Collins for raising that issue on behalf of the people of Limerick and specifically the people of Newcastle West, which is a fantastic town. Unfortunately, it is another one of these towns and villages that have been stymied or where development has been stopped because of a lack of infrastructure. Especially from an Uisce Éireann point of view, wastewater in particular has been a barrier to development in a lot of these towns. I will come back to that later. I will first set out the general housing…

The Senator pointed out the funding to Uisce Éireann. The funding to Uisce Éireann has significantly been bolstered over the last number of years, and that includes the fresh money that has come in from the Apple windfall. The Senator is absolutely right that we, as a Government, need to start seeing results from that, not just in Dublin but outside Dublin as well. The rural water programme falls specifically within the remit of my Department. I am absolutely making the case to ensure that a lot of that money and i…

It is always a pleasure to be here.

Do not say that too loudly.

I move: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes: — the ongoing commitment of this Government to honouring the men and women of 1916; — the hugely successful and inclusive Decade of Centenaries programme, and the Government's investment in key capital projects in that regard, including the seminal 1916 Museum and Exhibition at the General Post Office (GPO), and the purchase by the State of the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street; and — its affirmation of the status of the GP…

There are people whose family members participated through different periods of this revolutionary period. Sinn Féin does not own this narrative. We all have an invested role here. To hear things such as "betrayal" and to hear the Government being accused of the "wanton destruction" of this revolutionary period is completely outrageous and untoward. There was no mention of the investment in Kilmainham Gaol and the incredible visitors' centre that we have there-----

There was no mention of-----

-----the €10 million spent on the exhibition that we already have in the GPO. There was no mention of the decade of centenaries. None of that was mentioned. It was completely wiped out for Sinn Féin's narrative. The Government is invested in this. With anything that happens to the GPO, there will be an absolute focus on the cultural importance of the GPO.

There will be a focus on the historic importance of the GPO. There will be a focus on the role this period played in this important part of Ireland's history. The reason the State bought and owns 14-17 Moore Street is to protect it and to commemorate what happened in those houses on Moore Street. To hear descriptions such as "betrayal" and "wanton destruction" is-----

----- completely out of order.

That is why we are strongly opposing-----

That is why we are strongly opposing this motion.

The Deputies have mentioned retail outlets such as McDonald's and Carroll's. First, there is already a retail element to the GPO complex. The Deputies cannot deny that a GPO complex is already there. Sinn Féin is trying to put across this argument, in its Members' own words, that it will be turned into a "giant shopping mall". That is absolutely not the case-----

-----and it is completely unfair to describe it as such.