Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2023
384. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the development of section 28 guidelines for planning in Gaeltacht areas; if the draft guidelines have been finalised to date; the timeline for publication of the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32793/23]
View answerAn Interdepartmental Group (comprising officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; and Údarás na Gaeltachta) is in place to support and accelerate the ongoing work in relation to planning in Gaeltacht areas. One of the key aims of this group is to ensure that procedures and systems will be tailored, as appropriate, to facilitate an effective and consistent approach by the relevant local authorities in managing planning related issues in Gaeltacht areas.
Separately, the Department convened a Working Group during summer 2021 to examine various aspects of the planning process in all Gaeltacht areas. Membership of this group is made up of representatives from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Údarás na Gaeltachta and the relevant local authorities. A second meeting of this group took place this in October 2022 and another meeting is envisaged in the near future once work has been finalised in the Interdepartmental Group.
The Interdepartmental Group has been examining how current arrangements could be strengthened in the overall interest of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht and in the interests of proper planning and sustainable development, underpinned by a policy being finalised by the Department Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. This policy is critical to the finalisation of the Section 28 Guidelines for planning in Gaeltacht Areas, which my Department is in the process of preparing a draft for my review.
The Interdepartmental Group met on 15th December 2022 where it was agreed to commence, under the direction of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, a study in 2023 on the methodology and format of the Linguistic Impact Statement. This study was subsequently commissioned and commenced in February this year. A recent meeting of the Interdepartmental Group took place on 8th June 2023 to update progress of the consultant’s work so that it can be incorporated into the draft guidelines, and a further update on progress has recently been requested. It is intended to continue bilateral engagement in the coming weeks and hold a Working Group meeting when draft guidelines are nearing completion.
Once draft guidelines are finalised they must then be subject to screening for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), as well as for the purposes of Appropriate Assessment (AA). Subject to screening and a full SEA assessment not being required, it is intended that a draft of the guidelines will be published for public consultation.
