JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT debate -
Tuesday, 17 Nov 2009

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

The minutes of the meeting of 3 November have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed.

We shall deal with correspondence received by the joint committee since our last meeting. Item No. 639 is a letter in reply to queries raised by the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny regarding the transposing of European directives into Irish law. Are we happy to note the response? The correspondence is noted.

The next item is No. 644 — information provided in response to queries raised by Deputies Lynch and Scanlon on adjudications and rent to buy schemes with the Private Residential Tenancies Board when its representatives appeared before the committee. Do the Deputies wish to comment?

Deputy Ciarán Lynch

Yes, I welcome the correspondence. We sought further information on how many adjudications had taken place. I note that the correspondence implies that the number of adjudications has increased from one to three a day since the start of October. I welcome that development but it raises the question of what the number of adjudications by the PRTB was prior to that date, given that the fee is €660 a day. While I welcome that the board has increased the number of adjudications to three a day, there are serious questions about what it was doing for the past two years.

Chairman

Is the Deputy happy to make the point?

Deputy Ciarán Lynch

Yes, I am happy to make that point.

Chairman

Deputy Scanlon——

Deputy Eamon Scanlon

I am happy enough with that; we can leave the matter for another day.

Chairman

The Deputy is happy to note the correspondence and revert to the matter on a future date.

Deputy Eamon Scanlon

Yes.

Chairman

The next item of correspondence is No. 651, the newsletter of Europe's World, which we will note. Item No. 652 is a reply to queries raised at a previous committee meeting on housing inspections. Are members happy to note the correspondence? The correspondence is noted.

Item No. 653 is a calendar of meetings during the Spanish EU Presidency in 2010, which is noted. The next item of correspondence is a press release on the Minister's address to the annual conference of the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland, which is also noted.

Item No. 655 is another ministerial press release on the world heritage site list. Do members have an interest in the issue?

Deputy James Bannon

There is a proposal regarding a site in Clonmacnoise, County Offaly.

Chairman

There is.

Deputy James Bannon

Farmers, other operators and people living in the area, as well as in County Westmeath, are greatly concerned about what is proposed. There is a concern — there is an old term "sterilised" — that people may no longer be able to operate as heretofore due to the creation of a catchment area in the vicinity. It was agreed at a previous meeting that we would bring in departmental officials as soon as possible to deal with the issue and assess their thinking on the topic.

Chairman

Absolutely; we are happy to include the matter in our work programme and will deal with it on a suitable date.

The next item is a ministerial press release on the inaugural all-Ireland mammal symposium, which we will note. Item No. 657 is a newsletter on environmental issues from Globe International, which we also note.

Item No. 658 is a list of proposals for EU legislation from the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny. As there is no work required by this committee on the matter, we will note the correspondence.

Item No. 659 is the newsletter of the European Union Knowledge Network, which we will note. Item No. 660 is a report on the growth of coastal algae, also known as sea lettuce, on certain beaches in Cork requested by Deputy P. J. Sheehan at our meeting on the nitrates directive. As he is not a member of the committee and not here today, I will ask the clerk to forward a copy of the correspondence to him.

Item No. 661 is the annual report of the Local Government Computer Services Board. We will include the report in our work programme with a view to inviting the City and County Managers Association to discuss it in due course.

Correspondence No. 662 is a copy of a booklet entitled "An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Clare", which we will note. No. 663 is the Planning and Development (Mayo County Development Plan) Direction. This item will be of interest to members. A large delegation of Mayo county councillors appeared before the committee last year concerning the ministerial directive issued regarding their county development plan. Since then there has been substantial debate between the Department and the local authority and its members, and our committee might have contributed to a move forward in this respect. A revised directive has now been issued by the Minister. I have not studied it in detail but I understand it meets some of the concerns raised by the Mayo councillors. We will note that correspondence.

I wish to cite the circulars issued by the Department mainly to local authorities since our last meeting. Circular LG 22, recoupment of RAPID co-ordinators salary for 2009; LG 23, social inclusion units — recoupment of salaries; LG 24, Traveller interagency groups; TAU 1 to TAU 5 in respect of Traveller accommodation; L 8/09, closing date for recoupment claims under the water services investment programme by each local authority; and HP&AP 1/09, Planning and Development Act 2000 — Part IV architectural heritage. The latter circular concerns the collection of data from the planning authorities on the operation of Part IV architectural heritage of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in 2008 and relates to our meeting with the Department on derelict sites. This is an interesting item. Following our meeting with the Department on derelict sites, it asked local authorities to provide information regarding architectural heritage. We will write to the Department and ask it to forward us a copy of all those results because the issue of derelict sites, which was discussed at an earlier meeting, is a matter of concern to the committee.

Senator Camillus Glynn

We do not seem to be winning the battle on derelict sites. We all accept that buildings will become vacant from time to time, but there are buildings vacant in most, if not all, of our towns for years on end. They are a blight on the landscape. Failure to address such sites is grossly unfair to traders or people living on streets where there are such derelict buildings. This pertains to urban and rural areas. The local authorities should be more active in ensuring that the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act are enforced.

Chairman

We listened to what the Department officials had to say about derelict sites. The legislation on derelict sites is in place. The Department sent instructions to local authorities in that respect, but there was zero follow up by the Department in obtaining information on this topic. The Department has indicated that this is the first occasion this information has been sought, as a result of the committee specifically raising the issue with it. We were not happy with the information in this respect. The Department did not have such information and it is making a first effort now, which it should have done many years ago, to establish this information, and when it is obtained it will be brought to the committee.

Senator Camillus Glynn

It must be borne in mind that there is an income stream available from derelict sites under the Act.

Deputy James Bannon

A request was sent from this committee to several local authorities, which have provided zero information on derelict sites. We were to contact those local authorities. Has any correspondence been received from them?

Chairman

We wrote to approximately six local authorities and have received two preliminary replies. When all six replies are received, I will bring the matter back to the committee.

Senator Camillus Glynn

I will have to leave as a vote has been called in the Seanad.

Chairman

Yes.

Deputy James Bannon

Following on from the issue raised by Senator Glynn, there is a serious problem concerning unfinished estates throughout the length and breadth of this country.

Chairman

The Deputy is straying from the point.

Deputy James Bannon

This is an issue that needs to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

Chairman

Yes, it is an issue for the agenda for the next meeting and for our work programme in particular. The Deputy was going off on a tangent there.

Returning to the circulars issued, circular HU 4/2009, recoupment of local authority expenditure under section 10 of the Housing Act in relation to accommodation for homeless persons, has also been issued.

Since the last meeting we have been given a copy of the following statutory instruments: SI 439 of 2009, European Communities (Conservation of Wild Birds) Regulations 2009; SI 407 issued by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding the delegation of ministerial functions to the Minister of State with responsibility for housing; and SI 100 of 2009 in regard to regional planning guidelines, copies of which have been circulated. That concludes the correspondence.

I advise Members that Deputy Ciarán Cuffe has indicated a wish to be discharged from the committee and his request has been referred to the Chief Whip for tabling of the necessary motion in the Dáil. He will continue to receive papers and notifications until such time as he is replaced formally on this committee.

Item No. 3 is a draft travel report. A draft report has been circulated on the visit by a delegation of the joint committee to the annual winter conference of the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, in Limerick on 6 and 7 November 2009. We thank Senator Glynn for representing the committee there. Is it agreed to approve the draft report and lay it before the Houses of the Oireachtas? Agreed.