Yes, leis an Teachta Steven Matthews. Tógfaidh mé seacht nóiméad. Go raibh maith agat. I will respond briefly to some of the points raised by Deputies. I thank them for all the contributions. A lot of points were raised about depopulation, bánú, including by Deputy Connolly. As regards the whole issue of our towns and villages being hollowed out and the notion of clustering houses where they should be, where there are schools, water and wastewater facilities and post offices, there are contradictions in Deputy Myth…

That is an urgent situation. We will engage with Uisce Éireann. I know the Deputy has raised this issue on a number of occasions. We will engage with Uisce Éireann and get back to the Deputy with a reply as a matter of urgency.

I am conscious the Deputy has raised this matter on a few occasions. Clean drinking water is an absolute human right that everyone should have an entitlement to. We will engage with Uisce Éireann on this. I met with Uisce Éireann recently about the upgrade of the Kilkenny regional water supply scheme and the commitment has been given by Government, both in the budget and in the additional money from the AIB funds, to ensure Uisce Éireann can realise its capital ambition over the next number of years.

Absolutely, and that upgrade is on the list.

We will follow that up with Uisce Éireann.

No.

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions. I will come back on some of the points that have been raised since I took over duty for the debate. Many of the points that have been raised did not relate to the content of the Bill. Deputy Michael Collins raised issues about rural housing, rural planning infrastructure and the Bantry floods. The Government notes the concerns of the communities affected by the floods. The Minister visited the area over the weekend. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae mentioned single cottages…

Our built, natural, architectural and cultural heritages are an intrinsic part of who we are. They provided our lifeline during the Covid pandemic. This Government has invested like never before, making the greatest investment in the history of the State. We have had another record budget this year, which underscores our commitment. Our core heritage funding has increased by almost €18 million to a total of €172 million, an increase of 11.5% on 2024. This includes €90 million in allocations for capital spending and…

If Senator Flynn wishes to speak that is okay.

I thank Senators Boyhan and Flynn for their contributions since I took over duty here. I want to reiterate the points around the rural housing guidelines. The Department is working on them. That is not to say that the existing rural housing guidelines are not in place at local authority level. All local authorities have to adhere to them and local needs. I take on board the points Senator Boyhan made about local families and maintaining the viability of family farms. Succession is one of the major issues affecting …

I will make a quick reply. Over the course of the debates on this Bill I am hearing contradictory remarks about the loss of local democracy and the handing over of powers to the OPC. What I spoke to Senator Flynn about was that local, democratic accountability around the delivery of Traveller accommodation, which is absolutely crucial. We cannot underestimate that. I also said that the Government's job is to ensure funding is in place for Traveller accommodation programmes. It is hugely important that when the LTAC…

Amendment No. 151 seeks to remove the erroneous referral to “development plan” in subsection (4) of section 77. Regional, spatial and economic strategies take account of regional development, while development plans deal solely with the development within each local authority area. Following the completion of the assessment by the Office of the Planning Regulator, it shall make a recommendation and a statement of reasons to the Minister as to whether a draft direction under section 79 should be issued. The Minister…

Amendments Nos. 152 and 154 propose to delete certain provisions within the Bill relating to the functions of the OPR in relation to development plans and other statutory plans and insert the requirement to have regard to certain plans and obligations in the performance of their functions. I am opposing any proposal to remove functions of the OPR as this would not be appropriate as these have been statutory functions of the OPR since its establishment and it is the body with the powers to carry out such functions. …

It is one for the manifesto.

Amendment No. 157 updates the definition of "Chapter 4 development” in section 82. As currently written, Chapter 4 development relates to development outside an urban development zone, UDZ, only. This has the effect that large scale infrastructure projects located in a UDZ would go to the planning authority for approval. This amendment removes the limitation on Chapter 4 development to development outside a UDZ, therefore ensuring that strategic infrastructure development in a UDZ goes to the commission for direct …

Allow me to explain.

As I said, the Government has adopted a policy-based approach in respect of LNG which allows it to carefully consider the implications of any measures that could interfere with either our energy or economic security. The Taoiseach announced in September 2019 that future exploration licences would be awarded for natural gas only. The energy security review published in April 2023 recommended policy measures to strengthen the security of Ireland's gas supplies in the medium to long term. The review sets out the asses…

To reiterate what I said earlier, the amendment does not introduce anything new. It is aligning the definition of-----

I referenced the energy security package the Minister, Deputy Ryan, spoke to last week. This concerns the consideration of the development of a State-owned LNG facility. It is not a very different proposal from a commercial LNG facility. Any such process will still have to go through public engagement through An Coimisiún Pleanála. There is a timeline for decision-making, full public participation and environmental assessment. I have outlined to the Senator the incredible achievements we have made. At the outset of…

I will start with Opposition amendments Nos. 170 to 172, inclusive, 177 to 179, inclusive, 184, 185 and 187. Amendments No. 170 and 172 seek to include reference to obligations under the climate Act into section 86, which sets out the matters to which the planning authority or commission shall have regard in considering an application. I cannot accept these amendments, as I have tabled my own amendment No. 175 in this regard, which I will get to presently. Amendment No. 171 seeks to provide that a planning authorit…