Seanad Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Mar 2023

Vol. 293 No. 1

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

School Transport

Senator Vincent P. Martin

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Seanad. The announcement by the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, of free school transport for all was initially greeted by many with great fanfare. The reality on the ground for some communities is entirely different.

It has turned the lives of people living in the communities of Rathcoffey and Straffan upside down. It has caused chaos that is ongoing. There is a single bus service serving these communities that goes to the Maynooth Education Campus. At present, 26 students do not have a place on their own school bus. They had places until that announcement was made, but those places no longer exist because there are not enough seats. People who were on that bus for a number of years were leapfrogged. They were happy to pay the €350 per year, but now there are simply no places on the bus. At a recent public meeting in Friel's of Straffan, there was palpable frustration and dignified anger in the room. Parents want an end to this. They do not want another school year to start with this stress and chaos.

All political parties support the provision of a second bus. That is not to mention the carbon emissions and gridlock being caused. In the Public Gallery we are joined by No Planet B students from another part of County Kildare. They are in solidarity with the students whose lives have been turned upside down by not having a basic service to bring them to and from school safely. The students present, who met senior Ministers this morning, are conscious we could avoid additional carbon emissions. There are simply not enough seats on the bus. The demand clearly justifies two buses, with one serving Straffan and the other Rathcoffey. The demand is growing all the time. The sharp increase in population in Kildare is well-documented. Currently 26 people cannot get on a bus, but we believe next year the figure will well exceed 50. It is going to get worse and worse because many children have accepted places in Maynooth Education Campus this year. This problem will escalate come September.

The difficulty is compounded by the fact that most of the pupils in Straffan and Rathcoffey are not deemed eligible for school bus transport to Maynooth because we are dealing with an obsolete, outdated policy on top of this inadequate bus service. Clane is these pupils' nearest school, but it is full. They have a right to go to Maynooth for whatever reason; it is their prerogative. They may not want same-sex education. It should be a demand-led service. There are 26 students who have been deprived of a bus place they always had and took for granted, and next year this could be 50 to 55 children from Straffan and Rathcoffey. I plead with the Minister of State to try to hammer home this fundamental point. These students are not asking for an awful lot. The situation is utterly unsatisfactory at the moment. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber and look forward to his response.

Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy Niall Collins)

I thank Senator Martin for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley.

Before I address the specific issues raised, I will provide an outline of the extent of the school transport scheme. The scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. There has been a 21% increase in tickets issued to eligible students and a 38% increase in tickets issued to concessionary students in the 2022-23 school year compared with the previous one. In addition, in the current school year school transport scheme services are being provided for over 4,500 children who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9 million. The school transport scheme is an important service for families and children. The purpose of the Department's school transport scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. Children are eligible for transport at primary school level where they reside not less than 3.2 km from, and are attending, their nearest national school, and at post-primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 km from, and are attending, their nearest post-primary school or education centre as determined by the Department and Bus Éireann having regard to the ethos and language.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time are now accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. In addition, temporary alleviation measures have been continued for the current 2022-23 school year and will continue for the 2023-24 school year pending completion of the review. This means that transport is provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second-nearest school, and who apply and pay by the closing dates. Children who are not eligible for school transport but who completed the application process on time are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated. Such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

In regard to the specific issues raised by the Senator, it is understood that the pupils in the area referred to are attending their third- or fourth-closest school and are therefore not eligible for transport under the terms of the school transport scheme. If families have applied to attend their nearest school in regard to ethos and language and have been advised by the school authorities that it is full, the Department will consider whether students can be deemed eligible for transport to the next-nearest school. These families have been asked to submit details to the school transport section in this regard where their requests can be assessed.

A review of the school transport scheme commenced in February 2021. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately. Phase I of the review examined the impact of eligibility criteria on mainstream pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school but attend their next-nearest school. The report was completed in June 2021.

Following consideration of the report for the 2021-22 school year the provision of temporary alleviation measures was approved for transport for post-primary students who were otherwise eligible for school transport but were attending their second-nearest school and had applied and paid on time. These measures have been continued for the current 2022-23 school year and will again continue for the 2023-24 school year pending completion of the review. These measures mean that transport will be provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and who are attending their second-nearest school and who apply for school transport by 28 April 2023 and pay for the ticket or enter medical card details by 9 June 2023. These measures will again continue for the 2023-24 school year. Phase II of the review has progressed significantly and is being completed in tandem with phase III which is well under way.

An Cathaoirleach

Before I bring Senator Martin back in I welcome to the Gallery Ms Victoria Danlenska, who is a member of the Ukrainian community and former member of the armed forces. She is a guest of Senator Craughwell and is very welcome. I thank her for being here.

Senator Vincent P. Martin

I thank the Minister of State for outlining the facts. A number of parents are tuned in live to this at home. They will be putting all their hopes in the review but they have not heard anything new. They feel they are running around in circles. They are losing hope. They simply want an adequate bus service of sufficient capacity to bring all their children to the school. I know that this is the responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I hope there will be something new and radical in her review’s outcome and conclusions because an unintended consequence of her decision has caused chaos. No children should be left behind. Currently they are being left behind.

We need a school transport system. I cannot urge that enough on the Minister of State. It behoves the Government to deliver this for the people of Rathcoffey and Straffan who are under growing stress because there is no place for their children on the bus. This situation is going from the frying pan into the fire. It seems to be getting worse, not better. We hope there will be a breakthrough in the review. We want to see action and delivery. We do not need more words; we need action and a resolution.

Deputy Niall Collins

I again thank the Senator for the opportunity to update the House on school transport for the current school year. I reiterate that all eligible pupils who applied on time this year have now been facilitated on board a service for the 2022-23 school year. In addition, there has been a 40% increase in the number of tickets issued to concessionary pupils for the current school year, compared with the number issued in 2021-22.

As I mentioned, the Department is conducting a review of the school transport scheme. Wider considerations relating to the operation of the scheme are included in the review. Significant consultation has been undertaken as part of the review. A public survey was administered for parents, guardians, students who use the bus service and those who do not use it but would like to do so. A broad array of stakeholders, including schools, special education interest groups, industry representatives and other Departments, were consulted as part of the review. Although work on the review was impacted by the conflict in Ukraine and increased demand for the scheme in summer 2022 due to fees being waived, officials in the Department are working to complete phase 3 of the review in the coming weeks, with recommendations on the future operation of the Department school transport scheme. Once approved by Government, it is planned that the review will be published.

Special Educational Needs

Senator Tom Clonan

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I am seeking a statement from him on Department of Education Circular 0038/2007. The circular applies to primary school children who have a specific speech and language disorder. I raise this matter because the circular, which dates from 2007, needs to be updated. It is 16 years old. It consists of three paragraphs. The introductory paragraph sets out the criteria for admission to a special class and states that the child must satisfy the diagnostic criteria for this specific speech and language disorder. The third paragraph provides more detail on the criteria for enrolment. All those criteria are set out in evidence. In other words, these are areas that have undergone international peer-reviewed research into persons who have a specific speech and language disorder. The second paragraph, however, states, "Eligible pupils may spend up to two years in such classes." In other words, young boys or girls, whose needs are not being met elsewhere in the community, by the way, find their way into a special class where they begin to blossom but then, for an arbitrary, idiosyncratic and capricious reason, their time in that class is capped at two years. This is causing unnecessary suffering among children, parents and families. What intrigues and angers me about this is that it is literally the stroke of a pen. Some civil servant in the Department of Education, with no qualification in these areas and without reference to any research of evidence, capped their attendance at two years.

I have an example of this in practice. I have been approached by a family who are distraught. Their son, Harry, is attending one of these classes. He matches all the criteria and has a specific speech and language disorder. He attends St. Kevin's National School in Greystones. This young boy has blossomed in that class in the past two years. He is thriving. He is facing the prospect, however, of having that wonderful experience terminated in June this year simply because of this piece of paper.

I might add that the capitation grant is €785. That is what we are talking about here. I ask the Minister of State and Minister to take that line out so that principals and boards of management can keep these children in the environment where they are thriving.

In a previous life, before I joined the Army or became a lecturer and then a Senator, I was a primary school teacher. All of our educational philosophy is child-centred. The Department of Education reiterates repeatedly through its documentation that it places the child, and the child's needs, front and centre. I am asking that this arbitrary cap of two years be removed. To amend a circular will take a civil servant, I would say, approximately six minutes, or even less, to find the file and do it, but it would make a huge difference in the lives of children like Harry. I ask the Minister of State specifically if we can revisit this case and give young Harry Ryan the opportunity he needs to fully self-actualise as a participant and citizen. Ireland has a very bad record; it is the worst country in the European Union in which to have a disability. We can do something meaningful here. We can actually intervene here at a cost of €785 to change things dramatically for this child and his family.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Martin Conway)

I thank Senator Clonan. Before the Minister of State replies, I welcome the students from Kilcoole Primary School, County Wicklow, who are in the Gallery. I hope they have an interesting and educational day in Leinster House.

Deputy Niall Collins

On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Josepha Madigan, I thank Senator Clonan for raising a very important issue. I stress that it is absolutely vital that every child and young person with special educational needs is fully supported in the education sector, whether this be in mainstream education or in a special class or special school. Significant investment and reforms have been made to ensure this is the case.

A priority for this Government is to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and necessary supports are provided for our schools to cater for children with special educational needs. This year, the Department of Education will spend in excess of €2.6 billion, or over 27% of the Department's budget, on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs. For the first time ever, we have over 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education, and over 20,000 special needs assistants. Together, we have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.

The children will undoubtedly benefit, as is right and proper, from the additional focus these resources will bring to their education. Primary and post-primary schools make provision for pupils' special education needs through a continuum of interventions, ranging from additional teaching supports in mainstream schools to placement in a special class or, in some cases, enrolment in a special school. Schools are provided with the resources through the special education teacher allocation model to assist them in meeting the needs of their students, including those with language difficulties. Schools are required to target their additional resources at those students requiring the greatest levels of support. These supports ensure that the vast majority of our children with additional needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers.

Specialist provision for children with specific speech and language disorder, SSLD, is available at primary level. This is based on the principle of early intervention. These classes are designed to provide a time-limited, targeted intervention for children with severe impairments in their skills of understanding and expressing themselves through spoken language. Pupils who attend special classes for children with SSLD return to mainstream provision following the two-year intervention and they can avail of further supports from schools' special education teachers. These classes are set up in agreement with HSE speech and language services and students attending these classes receive speech and language therapy in school. As such, the specialist intervention is not intended to support all children with less complex speech and language needs as these needs should be met through or other school or community-based language interventions.

The intensive support provided by speech and language therapists, working in collaboration with teachers in SSLD classes over a two-year period aims to equip children with the necessary speech and language skills to transition back to their mainstream class, with their peers. SSLD classes are at the higher end of the scale of interventions to support children and are in line with practice in many other countries. The level of provision in SSLD classes over this two-year period has been found to be of a high standard in various Department of Education inspectorate evaluations. The Department of Education has also introduced the school inclusion model to enhance the capacity of all teachers to meet the language needs of pupils. This model is running on a pilot basis, and lessons learned will inform plans to scale up provision in this area.

Senator Tom Clonan

I appreciate that the Minister of State has not heard my four-minute contribution until this morning. However, I know that he has heard me. As parents and carers in Ireland we are confronted with a situation where progressing disabilities in the community has failed. I received an on the record statement to that effect from the former CEO of the HSE, Mr. Paul Reid. For children like Harry, this is their only opportunity to blossom, develop and grow. I am asking the Minister of State to please change that one cruel and capricious line, which states that their attendance in these classes is capped at two years. As the Minister of State has highlighted we are talking about €785 per annum, per child, out of a budget of €2 billion. This is, as George Lee used to say, a no brainer. This is an easy win for the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. Can I please receive a commitment or an answer on that? Would they be prepared to change that arbitrary and cruel provision?

Deputy Niall Collins

I again thank the Senator for raising this important issue and providing the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all children can access an education suitable to their needs. I acknowledge the excellent work done in our schools with, for and by students. There are significant challenges, and we all know and accept that. All of those who work in our supporting special schools and special classes see these challenges daily. The Government is committed to continuing to work with these schools and communities and make sure they are supported in this vital work. The Senator has raised the example of a pupil named Harry Ryan, who is a constituent of his. I would be happy for him to send the details of that particular individual to me. I will forward them to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who has direct responsibility in this matter.

Public Health Nursing Services

Senator Mary Seery Kearney

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I raise the issue of public health nursing services in Curlew Road Health Centre in Drimnagh, which are about to be moved to Armagh Road Health Centre in Crumlin. Questions have already been asked about this withdrawal and the response has been that it is a temporary measure, and that there will be a mother and child clinic. However, I need to impress upon the decision makers that it is not acceptable for the area of Drimnagh to be left without a public health nurse service. I need to contextualise this. Somewhere in the heads of those who make decisions, Drimnagh and Crumlin are lumped together and taken en masse. Drimnagh is an area with a population the size of Cobh. It currently has building work and planning permissions going on that mean it will soon, by itself, have a population the size of Newbridge. The people of Drimnagh have been promised a primary care centre since 2011, when 20 announcements were made. Of those primary care centres, 19 have been built. The Drimnagh one currently has a promise for turning the sod of December 2024, or some time in the last quarter of next year. In the meantime, elderly people in Drimnagh are expected to travel to Crumlin, which has no direct connecting bus service unless they take a very long walk.

This is simply not good enough. Drimnagh has only two GPs. The area has been stripped of its physiotherapy and social care provision. All of those services have already gone to the Armagh Road centre. It is not acceptable that health services for the people of Drimnagh have been completely stripped away. There has been no consultation with residents or with the Alzheimer's day care unit that is based in the Mother McAuley Centre on Curlew Road. The HSE owns a vast amount of land on Davitt Road that is just sitting there idle, with nothing happening on it. There is no consultation, no plan and no engagement with residents. There is a fantastic group, Dynamic Drimnagh, that is ready to engage and has come up with well thought-through plans and proposals that would serve the people of the area. However, all that happens in Drimnagh is that one planning permission after another is given, most of them for build-to-rent accommodation. This results in a transitory population, with no infrastructure or supports in place.

Now we have this additional insult, whereby the 12,500 people in Drimnagh apparently do not deserve the provision of a public health nurse. It is somehow acceptable that they are left without that service. It is not acceptable and the people of Drimnagh will be very active in expressing their view on that. The reason given for the withdrawal of the service is that there is a shortage of staff in the Armagh Road centre. I would like to know why there is a shortage of staff. We discussed this issue during a Commencement debate last week. Right next door to the Armagh Road facility is a special needs school that has been promised a service two hours a week for its 43 pupils. That service cannot be delivered because the turnover of staff in the Armagh Road facility is incredibly high. There is something going on there and the people of Drimnagh are expected to pay the price for it, in addition to the stripping out of services in Crumlin. The people of Drimnagh deserve their own family care centre and for this decision on the public health nurse service to be reversed as a matter of urgency.

Deputy Niall Collins

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, I thank the Senator for raising this matter and for the opportunity to update the House. Public health nurses play an extremely valuable role within the community healthcare system. It is vital that local communities, such as the community in Drimnagh, have access to public health nurses and the extensive range of services they provide.

The public health nursing service in Dublin south-west is currently dealing with significant staff shortages. These shortages are mainly due to reductions in the availability of staff as a result of retirement, internal movement and staff leave. Despite ongoing efforts, including recruitment campaigns and attendance at both national and international recruitment fairs, the recruitment of public health nurses continues to prove particularly challenging for the Dublin south-west area. The HSE has assured the Minister that it will continue to make every effort to provide the required nursing services to the population despite these recruitment difficulties.

In light of the staffing shortages, the public health nursing service in Dublin south-west has taken the decision to pool resources as a short-term mitigation measure. This will ensure that any impact on service provision is kept to a minimum. The public health nursing services will be consolidated in the Armagh Road centre, with a satellite clinic to be provided in the Curlew Road facility. It is hoped that the provision of this satellite clinic will ensure minimal impact on service users. It is important to note that this change will see no impact on those receiving domiciliary nursing services.

The HSE expects implementation of this process to begin in the week of 3 April, with a communication letter to be issued to service users and relevant stakeholders in advance of that date. The HSE has advised that this measure will be subject to daily monitoring to ensure continuity of care and to manage risk. The HSE has reiterated that, as and when staffing levels increase, nursing staff will return to Curlew Road. The Minister has been informed that occupational therapy services, dietetics and addiction services will all continue to be provided from the Curlew Road Health Centre.

In response to the broader challenges of recruitment and retention of public health nurses, the HSE established a community nursing national oversight group last year. The group is tasked with developing proposals and recommendations which will aim to address issues in the recruitment and retention of public health and community-registered nurses. The Department recognises the stress and frustration caused by the shortages of public health nurses. The Department and HSE encourage service users with concerns to contact their local public health nursing service directly.

Senator Mary Seery Kearney

The Minister of State would not defend the stripping out of public health nurses from the service to a town the size of Killarney. That decision would never be made because it is seen as a distinct area and town deserving of and entitled to its own service. Drimnagh is no different. Just because it is in Dublin city does not mean it does not deserve to be red-circled and have its own services. The people of Drimnagh have been let down since 2011 and have not had a delivery of the services or a prioritisation. They got a wishy-washy promise of a primary care centre but did not get actual plans or decisions. Now we are stripping out their public health nurses as well. All that is happening is that what they had is being diminished and diluted all the time. It is not good enough and needs to change. The people in Drimnagh deserve to be prioritised as a matter of urgency. This decision needs to be addressed. How many other centres were considered to have public health nurses drawn from them to preserve the public health nurse service in the Curlew Road centre? Nowhere else, because they are handy people to pull over to the Long Mile Road and maybe the people of Drimnagh will not have anything to say. However, the people of Drimnagh will have a lot to say about this. It is not acceptable and the decision needs to be reversed.

Deputy Niall Collins

The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, fully acknowledges the Senator’s concerns and those of the community in Drimnagh regarding the relocation from the Curlew Road Health Centre to the Armagh Road primary care centre. However, it is important to note this is a short-term measure to pool resources while recruitment challenges exist. The introduction of the measure will allow the service to provide better continuity of care while ensuring those with the greatest clinical need continue to be seen in the community. The Department has received an assurance that the measure will be under daily review to ensure delivery of a safe service. The population of Drimnagh will continue to be served, with the Curlew Road centre acting as a satellite clinic. Once staffing levels increase, nursing staff will return to Curlew Road Health Centre.

While every effort is being made to address recruitment challenges in the short term, including ongoing campaigns, longer term recruitment challenges face a range of sectors, including health. It is expected that the recently established community nursing national oversight group will propose recommendations later this year to address some longer term issues in the recruitment and retention of public health and community-registered nurses. The Minister wishes to reassure the Senator that the Department of Health and HSE will continue to work together to review and monitor the service levels and to utilise all practical options to fill vacancies in Dublin South-West and elsewhere.

Planning Issues

Senator Aidan Davitt

It is nice to see the Minister of State here today. I thank him very much. This matter concerns one-off plannings. Section 42 of the Planning and Development Act could give a five-year extension to planning permissions. However, legislation, particularly section 7 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2021, about which I raised concerns at the time, has had unintended consequences. One-off housing planning permissions are tangled up in legislation which was introduced to push developers to start on larger developments. Over two years of Covid, a massive rise in building costs has seen some one-off houses put on hold.

The change in law and the non-rolling over of the five-year planning permissions mean that a one-off homebuilder has to go through the whole planning process again. This was an unintended consequence of trying to push developers to build out houses and start developments. I would say it has had little or no impact on what it has tried to achieve. It is, however, causing life-changing problems for families starting off in life.

I ask the Minister of State to table an amendment to the planning and development Bill to take one-off homes out of section 7. I am sure this is a topic close to his heart, with various areas in his locality affected. I appreciate the Minister of State's time.

Deputy Niall Collins

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I thank Senator Davitt for raising it.

The Minister is aware that there are provisions in planning legislation whereby an existing planning permission for development, including of rural housing, may be extended in duration under certain circumstances to allow development to take place. The Minister would like to clarify the position on such extensions of duration.

Section 42 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, enables the holder of a planning permission to apply to a planning authority for up to two extensions to the appropriate period of the permission, provided that the combined duration of both extensions does not exceed five years. The granting of such an extension is, however, subject to the planning authority being satisfied that the development has been commenced, substantial works have been carried out, the development will be completed in reasonable time and an environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment are not required for the proposed extension. Further extensions are currently permitted under section 7 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2021 in the context of delays and disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This provides for the extension of the appropriate period of up to two years or until 31 December 2023, whichever first occurs, subject to the planning authority being satisfied that such an extension is appropriate. This provision applies to extant permissions due to expire and to permissions which expired between 8 January 2021 and 8 September 2021. These provisions, overall, allow for a reasonable period for developments to be completed in the context of delays related to the impact of the pandemic.

The construction of homes in our rural communities is an important and continuing feature of housing delivery in Ireland, providing an average of 5,000 new homes annually. Updated rural housing planning guidelines are being prepared by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The updated guidelines will expand on the high-level spatial planning policy of the national planning framework, NPF, in particular national policy objective, NPO, 19, which relates to rural housing.

The proposed draft rural housing guidelines will set out relevant planning criteria to be applied in local authority development plans for rural housing, based on the high-level policy framework set out by the NPF. The guidelines will continue to allow county development plans to provide for housing in the countryside based on the considerations detailed in NPO 19 of the NPF and will highlight the need to manage development in certain areas, such as areas around cities and larger towns, and environmentally sensitive areas, in order to avoid overdevelopment. The guidelines are at an advanced stage of drafting and environmental assessments are nearing completion. It is intended to publish the draft guidelines for a period of public consultation when the environmental assessments are complete. This is expected to happen in quarter 2 of this year. Following the period of consultation, and with any subsequent changes made, the guidelines will be submitted to the Minister for approval to publish. Once issued, planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála will be required to have regard to the guidelines in carrying out their functions.

Senator Aidan Davitt

The Minister of State's answer is a bit of a smokescreen, unfortunately. I know he is only the messenger. It is hard to see how there are two junior Ministers in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and neither could be here, with the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, having to field all these questions.

If substantial works are done, the council can look at the matter or whatever else. From then, there was a short window within which the council could give a two-year extension.

The ability to roll on planning permission for five years, however, has now been got rid of. Between Covid-19 and different restrictions, there were nearly three years when building could not take place. Put into the mix as well has been the problem we have had with the cost of goods and materials. We have had nearly another year of this as well. I am relatively unhappy with the answer; I do not think it goes far enough. Certainly, what had preceded it is just not good enough. We should amend this because it is tying in one-off houses with larger developments. I do not think it is fair.

Deputy Niall Collins

Existing legislation provides for the extension of the duration of a planning permission, subject to certain criteria set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Specifically, section 42 enables the holder of a planning permission to apply to a planning authority for up to two extensions to the appropriate period of the permission, provided the combined duration of both extensions does not exceed five years. Further extensions are also currently permitted under section 7 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2021 in the context of delays and disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This provides for the extension of the appropriate period of up to two years or until 31 December 2023, whichever occurs first, subject to the planning authority being satisfied such an extension is appropriate.

In the draft planning reform Bill, it is proposed to retain the current five-year duration of planning permission. Updated rural housing planning guidelines are being prepared by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and it is intended to publish these draft guidelines for the period of public consultation in the second quarter of this year, once the environment assessments have been completed.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Martin Conway)

I thank the Minister of State. I commend Senator Davitt on proposing a common-sense solution that would be one of the solutions that would help with the housing crisis we find ourselves in now. It certainly would give relief to families in a difficult period. I thank the Minister of State for taking the four Commencement matters.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 1.18 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 1.33 p.m.

Sitting suspended at 1.18 p.m. and resumed at 1.33 p.m.