JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT debate -
Tuesday, 25 May 2010

Business of Joint Committee

Chairman

I ask members to ensure that all mobile telephones are turned off even though I have seen something to the effect that texting and tweeting will be allowed in the Chamber.

The first item on the agenda concerns the minutes of the meeting held on 18 May, which have been circulated to members. Are they agreed? Agreed.

The second item on the agenda is correspondence and I propose to go through the items. The first item is a press release from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on biodiversity. We will note the correspondence. The second item is No. 864, a press release from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on lime works and the use of lime in traditional and new buildings. We will note the correspondence. The next item is No. 865, a newsletter from Europe’s World. We will note the correspondence. The next item is No. 866, which is from the Oireachtas’s representative in the European Union and pertains to parliamentary activities in the European Parliament. We will note the correspondence. The next item is an environmental newsletter from GLOBE International. We will note the correspondence.

The next item concerns the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010. It is an e-mail from Rural Ireland Says Enough!, RISE!, calling for consultation with the Minister on the aforementioned Bill. Members will discuss a related item on the agenda today. This e-mail pertains to the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010, certain aspects of which the joint committee has invited people before it to discuss today.

The next item is an e-mail relating to the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 from the Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports that calls for support for the Bill. We will note the correspondence and there was extensive discussion on that issue at the previous meeting. The next item, No. 870, is an invitation from the EPA to a climate change conference in the Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, on Wednesday, 30 June 2010. We will note the correspondence and will establish whether anyone wishes to attend. Any such members should contact the clerk to the committee.

The next item is No. 871, which pertains to the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 and is a proposed amendment to the Bill from Art Generations Limited. While we can note the correspondence, I will check the particular topic in question. If I am correct, it may relate to people who have permission for a wind farm but who do not have a connection arranged with EirGrid and fear that by the time the latter gets around to approving such a connection, their planning permission may have expired. We have forwarded this correspondence directly to the Minister already but it will arise during the debate in the Dáil and this committee on the aforementioned Bill.

The next item is No. 872, and is a confirmation from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government that the Committee Stage of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 will be considered by the select committee from 15 to 17 June. Members should take note of those dates.

Deputy Johnny Brady

At what times?

Chairman

It probably will begin during the afternoon of Tuesday, 15 June, and the select committee then will resume, as normal, early on Wednesday morning. We will book the room in case proceedings run into Thursday as well.

Deputy Johnny Brady

The problem is that it will coincide with other committee meetings on Wednesday morning. However, members can get someone to act in substitution, if necessary.

Chairman

Yes, if there are votes or similar developments. I reiterate this will be a select committee meeting.

Deputy Phil Hogan

Has there been an indication from the Minister as to when members are likely to have sight of his amendments?

Chairman

I do not know.

Deputy Phil Hogan

Should members convey to the Minister that they would like to have sight of them one week in advance, rather than one day in advance?

Chairman

We will write to him specifically on that issue. I am happy to do so. However, I believe that under Standing Orders of the House, the Department is required to do that anyway.

Deputy Phil Hogan

Standing Orders have been abused.

Chairman

Fine. We will specifically write that letter. The Bill will be considered from 15 to 17 June. While the times will be agreed on later, the room will be booked for three days to consider Committee Stage. I believe the Irish Farmers Association, which will appear before the joint committee today, has commented on specific aspects of that legislation.

The next item is from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and is a reply to the joint committee's query on the compilation of Ireland's new tentative list of nominees to the world heritage list. We will note the correspondence and members can deal with it in their own way. The next item, No. 874, is a magazine publication by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and relates to world heritage. We will note the correspondence.

The next item is No. 875 and is a reply from the National Roads Authority to a query from the joint committee regarding its role in planning. Officials from the Department are to brief members on 9 June on new planning authority guidelines regarding spatial planning and national roads. I refer to a sentence in the reply from the authority that caught my attention that states:

Committee members will be aware that the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is in the process of issuing Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities, which, we understand, will update and reinforce this policy and its general application but will allow exceptions in particular circumstances on lightly trafficked roads.

Deputy Ciarán Lynch

Where is this reference?

Chairman

I refer to the second last paragraph of the reply's second page. Members are finding out inadvertently through the National Roads Authority that the Department is in the process of issuing spatial planning and national road guidelines. This information has come to us almost inadvertently. When I saw this, I thought that members should have a discussion on this issue. On the day the Minister of State, Deputy Cuffe, appeared before the joint committee, we already had expressed members' desire to discuss the issue of spatial planning with the Department. Everything in the new planning legislation will fall from the national spatial strategy, which the Department has stated it is revising in-house without public consultation. The regional planning guidelines will come from that and thereafter the local development plans will derive from them. We have asked to have an input and have arranged a date. We wanted to do this before the Committee Stage of the Bill was taken because there is no point in having a Committee Stage of a Bill only to be told one month later that incidentally, all the spatial guidelines were being revised as well. This will take place on 9 June, which is the reason the proposed meeting has been rushed in.

The next item pertains to the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill and is a request from the Deer Society of Ireland for support in opposing section 3 which opposes the use of two or more dogs while hunting deer. This is pertinent to today's meeting. The next item relates to the Building Control Act 2007 and is a complaint to the Government that a Mr. Krief's rights are being denigrated. Perhaps we can send it to the Department for a response.

The next item is circulars that have been issued to local authorities by the Department since our last meeting. The circulars issued are National Hazardous Waste Management Plan — collection of farm plastics, and Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012 — administrative arrangements.

Deputy Phil Hogan

Has a letter issued to the county and city managers asking for details on how much of that programme they will be able to draw down?

Chairman

Yes. We did that after the last meeting but we have no word back. As suggested by the Deputy, we asked how they were placed in regard to financing that programme.

Statutory Instrument No. 161 of 2010, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading (Amendment) Regulations 2010 has been issued by the Department since the last meeting and Conservation of Wild Birds Special Protection Areas — list of 32 statutory instruments — has been issued and hard copies are available from the clerk to the committee if anybody wants specific details. I am sure they are also available in the Oireachtas Library.

That concludes correspondence.

Sitting suspended at 3.52 p.m. and resumed at 3.53 p.m.