Written Answers Nos. 230-252
230. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she has any plans to assist the free newspaper publishers of Ireland, who perform a very important function in society; if she would be prepared to meet the sector’s main representative body (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49781/23]
View answerI recognise the significant challenges faced by the print news sector in particular, which are in part due to the increased digitalisation of news and media content generally and the associated decline in advertising revenue as a consequence.
The print media sector is undergoing a profound change and Government acknowledges that assistance is needed to preserve and support a diverse, vibrant and independent media sector, which is essential for our society, democracy and cultural development.
The Report of the Future of Media Commission examined the difficult challenges faced by the print news sector, which includes free newspapers, and made a number of recommendations to counter these challenges and to support our print news sector.
One recommendation made by the Future of Media Commission was the establishment of a new Media Fund to provide support to the wider media and journalism sector at local, regional and national levels on a platform neutral basis. The Media Fund is being established on an administrative basis, with the Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes being prioritised for implementation. The detailed design of the Schemes is currently being undertaken by Coimisiún na Meán and, subject to State Aid approval, they will commence in 2024. As the schemes are to be administered on a platform neutral basis, the free newspaper sector will be eligible to apply for funding from the schemes once established.
The representative body referred to by the Deputy is a member of the Future of Media Commission Stakeholder Consultative Forum and I am advised that my officials have met with this group as part of the development of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and the Courts Reporting Scheme. My officials will continue to engage with these members and indeed with all stakeholders through the appropriate channels, while monitoring developments in the print news sector.
231. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide details on what criteria or factors will be taken into account when determining the timing of the reopening of the large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF, for new applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49945/23]
View answerThe National Sports Policy, which was published in 2018, provided for the establishment of a Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The first call for proposals under the LSSIF closed in 2019 with applications confined to local authorities and national governing bodies of sport. All applications were assessed in accordance with the published evaluation procedures and guidelines and the first allocations were announced in January 2020. Thus far, approximately €86.4 million has been awarded to 33 different proposals.
With regard to a possible new round of the LSSIF, I am determined to see continued investment in sports facilities in order to ensure we achieve our ambitious targets for sports participation across the country. Accordingly, I will continue to engage with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform on the timing of the opening of a new round and the funding required to underpin such a round.
The National Digital Database of Sport and Recreation Amenities was recently launched by Sport Ireland and is a major project involving the integration of multiple datasets from a wide variety of stakeholders that will, inter alia, increase our understanding of gaps or shortfalls in Ireland's sporting infrastructure. This will also provide an invaluable input into future investment decisions to ensure that public money goes where it is most needed and delivers the best results in terms of sports participation.
232. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, in light of reports of fires in multi-storey car parks, some of which seem to emanate from either car or bicycle batteries, he will outline any steps his Department has taken to carry out investigations in terms of the safety of multi-storey car parks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49272/23]
View answerThe provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for equipment and priority infrastructural projects. The Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 applies to the safety of existing buildings and the manner in which they are managed.
Investigations on the cause of fires that occur in car parks, or more generally in the case of arson, criminal damage, or unfortunately, injuries and fatalities, are carried out by An Garda Síochána.
Issues relating to the safety of electric consumer products including EVs, e-bikes, e-scooters comes under the remit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Separately, a Steering Group on Fire Safety Research has been established by my Department to explore emerging fire safety issues in the context of the design and construction of new buildings and to work in collaboration with fire authorities to help inform the development of appropriate strategies and guidance.
233. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied). [49277/23]
View answerIn accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, local authorities are legally responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.
Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities to manage and maintain their own stock, my Department does provide annual funding support to local authorities for management and maintenance under a number of funding programmes. Since 2014 until the end of 2022, under the Voids Programme funding of over €289m has been provided to the sector for the remediation of over 20,000 dwellings. Given the very significant Exchequer investment into the Voids Programme, since this Government has taken office it is envisaged that local authorities should now be in a strong position to begin the transition to a strategic and informed planned maintenance approach to stock management and maintenance.
Under the Voids Programme there is no upper cap on the amount that can be spent on an individual dwelling providing the total amount averaged across all dwellings submitted by Local Authority does not exceed €11,000. Furthermore, where turnaround times are not impacted Local Authorities can complete the suite of works applicable to the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) on a vacant dwelling with additional funding up to a maximum of €48,850 available. Local Authorities that take a pragmatic approach can maximise the funding available and limit the impact on their own resources.
The emphasis of the Department's Programme is on minimal refurbishment works to comply with the housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. This approach will also ensure that the property is returned to productive use as quickly as possible with major upgrade works being deferred and carried out on a cyclical basis notwithstanding EERP funding available. .
The approach being adopted by Longford Co Co, in focusing on more costly and more time consuming refurbishment to attain higher standards, as outlined, may not align consistently with my Department's policy in relation to bringing these social housing units quickly back into use.
My Department and the local authority sector are working to transition from a largely responsive and voids based approach to housing stock management and maintenance, to a planned maintenance approach as referenced in Housing for All, policy objective 20.6. This will require the completion of stock conditions surveys by all local authorities and the subsequent development of strategic and informed work programmes in response. My Department will support these work programmes by ensuring that the funding available under the Voids Programme is aligned with this approach.
Finally, of equal importance is that Local Authority officials and elected members make adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance utilising the strong housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process, which is also referenced in Housing for All, policy objective 20.7.
234. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on census figures which show a much higher proportion of properties being rented out than those that are registered; his views on the discrepancy; how this can be addressed to ensure tenants have a fair deal from their landlords; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49279/23]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA) to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.
From 4 April 2022, landlords are required under the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 to register their tenancies with the RTB every year, within one month of the anniversary of when the tenancy began. This applies to both new and existing tenancies. As before, landlords continue to be required to register a tenancy within one month of its commencement.
My Department understands that there are differences between the RTB’s registration data and the figures published by the CSO from the 2022 Census. The Department is aware the RTB has been engaging with the CSO on this matter since July 2023. The RTB has informed my Department that it will support the CSO as a matter of priority in undertaking an analytical exercise to commence in November, which will allow it to better understand the reasons behind the difference between the CSO data and the RTB Register.
My Department continues to work with the RTB to ensure that it is sufficiently resourced to deliver on its mandate, including the enforcement of tenancy registration requirements.
235. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of whole-time equivalent, WTE, qualified arborists employed by his Department as of 1 April 2022 and 3 November 2023, in tabular form. [49288/23]
View answerThe National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is an executive agency within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with responsibility for, inter alia, the management of our National Parks. The NPWS does not employ staff as qualified arborists and does not have such a grade or title of position. While there may be staff who have such qualifications it is not an essential requirement for any role in the NPWS and therefore we would not hold a record of such qualifications.
236. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the River Basin Management Plan will be updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49318/23]
View answerI refer to the reply to Dáil Question No. 692 on 7 November which sets out the position in the matter.
237. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on a housing scheme for County Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49331/23]
View answerHousing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes by 2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
A key action of Housing for All required local authorities to develop Housing Delivery Action Plans to include details of social and affordable housing delivery. The Plans set out details of both social and affordable housing delivery as appropriate over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. A copy of Kerry County Council’s Housing Delivery Action Plan is available on its website at the following link: www.kerrycoco.ie/housing-delivery-programme/.
My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 2 2023. A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis of completions, locations, approvals stage and so on, at www.data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q2-2023.
238. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49338/23]
View answerI understand NPWS staff met on site with the individual last month in relation to the proposed activity, and that an application for an Activity Requiring Consent is now being processed. This is required because the proposed activity occurs within a Special Area of Conservation. The NPWS team will contact the applicant again directly and provide them with an update on progress.
239. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the public funding will be released in order that the Donegal defective block (Mica) pilot schemes (local authority and AHB) can commence. [49367/23]
View answerSection 36 of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Act 2022 provides that the Government may make a scheme for the purposes of enabling a designated local authority or an Approved Housing Body (AHB) to remedy damage caused to dwellings by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction. The grant rates for this local authority and approved housing body DCB scheme shall be the same as the enhanced DCB grant scheme.
My Department is working with the four designated local authorities as well as engaging with the AHB sector so as to develop a scheme that can be rolled out to the councils and relevant AHBs. I expect to be in a position to provide full details of this scheme shortly.
240. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to reopen Measure A8 of the multi-annual rural water programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49378/23]
View answerIn April 2022, I announced a new funding measure, under the Multi-annual Rural Water Programme, for the waste water collection and treatment needs of villages that do not have access to public waste water services.
Funding of €50 million has been specifically allocated under the National Development Plan 2021-2030. The first round of funding is intended to follow a demonstration project model approach to inform future funding needs that will provide appropriate longer-term solutions.
All rural local authorities were asked to submit a maximum of two suitable priority applications each, for this funding measure. A total of 23 individual applications from 13 local authorities were received before the closing date of 15 September 2022.
An independent Expert Panel has evaluated each application received and I will announce approval of funding for specific projects shortly. I have no plans to re-open the application process at this time.
241. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline his plans to engage with relevant stakeholders in drafting of legislation in respect of the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the seventh amendment to the Constitution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49388/23]
View answerThe Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act 1937 sets out the current legislative provisions governing the election of university senators to Seanad Éireann. In a recent judgment the Supreme Court determined that sections 6 and 7 of that Act, which provide for the election of members of the Seanad by certain university graduates, are unconstitutional because they are not consistent with Article 18.4.2 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court issued a judgment to suspend the making of a declaration of invalidity until 31 May 2025.
In order to respond fully to the Supreme Court judgment, my Department is currently considering the judgment and I expect to bring proposals to Government shortly. The approach to consultation will be made within the context of this work which is being progressed as a matter of priority in my Department.
242. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to implement the recommendations of the Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on National Coastal Change Management Strategy which was recently published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49284/23]
View answerAwaiting reply from Department.
243. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 130 of 24 May 2023, to list the number of funding applications submitted in 2022 and in 2023 respectively by each local authority under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2022-2025 Measure A8 - Waste Water Collection and Treatment needs for Villages and Settlements without access to Public Waste Water Services; the number of applications approved under the measure in the same periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49479/23]
View answerIn April 2022, I announced a new funding measure, as an advance stage of the upcoming Multi-annual Rural Water Programme, for the waste water collection and treatment needs of villages that do not have access to public waste water services.
Funding of €50 million has been specifically allocated under the National Development Plan 2021-2030. The first round of funding is intended to follow a demonstration project model approach to inform future funding needs that will provide appropriate longer-term solutions.
All rural local authorities were asked to submit a maximum of two suitable priority applications each, for this funding measure. A total of 23 individual applications from 13 local authorities (listed below) were received before the closing date of 15 September 2022.
An independent Expert Panel has critically evaluated each application received and I will announce approval of funding for specific projects shortly.
|
Local Authority |
Location |
|
Cavan |
Milltown |
|
Clare |
Broadford |
|
Clare |
Cooraclare |
|
Cork |
Graball Bay |
|
Cork |
Glantane |
|
Donegal |
Bonagee |
|
Galway |
Clarinbridge |
|
Galway |
Craughwell |
|
Kerry |
Beaufort |
|
Kerry |
Spa |
|
Kilkenny |
Shellumsrath |
|
Kilkenny |
Cloone Mullinabro |
|
Laois |
Vicarstown |
|
Laois |
Cullohill |
|
Leitrim |
Rossinver |
|
Limerick |
Kildimo |
|
Limerick |
Athlacca |
|
Sligo |
Ballygawley |
|
Sligo |
Rathcormac |
|
Westmeath |
Mount Temple |
|
Westmeath |
Baylin |
|
Wexford |
Glynn |
|
Wexford |
Ramsgrange |
244. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the qualifying criteria for well water grants administered through local authorities; if an instruction can be issued to allow for the inclusion of applications for premises that are soon to be lived in following renovation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49481/23]
View answerMy Department provides grant funding to assist householders dependent on an existing private water supply (Individual private well) with the costs incurred in providing a supply of water for domestic purposes or carrying out improvements to an existing supply.
The grant is administered by local authorities. An applicant may be considered eligible for a grant if, in the opinion of the local authority, the house is occupied by the applicant as their normal place of residence.
I can confirm that my Department is currently carrying out a review of all matters relating to the grant scheme, including consultation with key stakeholders which will inform the outcome of review. I expect to receive recommendations in relation to changes to the grant scheme for my approval in the coming weeks.
245. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the planned and already provided accommodation (details supplied) from 2018 - 2023 within Mayo County Council that will benefit from this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49517/23]
View answerThe Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
The Act provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas.
Mayo County Council has drawdown €3,143,112 between 2018 and 2023 from the Traveller Accommodation capital budget primarily on the acquisition of housing for Travellers.
In addition, Mayo County Council has drawdown capital funding relating to Covid-19 preventative measures on authorised and unauthorised halting sites in Mayo in each of the years requested, as set out in the following table:
|
Year |
Halting Sites Expenditure € |
|
2018 |
0 |
|
2019 |
0 |
|
2020 |
47,950.90 |
|
2021 |
6,957.83 |
|
2022 |
13,983.74 |
|
2023* |
7,360.81 |
*Year to date
There is one authorised halting site in Mayo and the Council are at the initial plan stages of a funding application to redevelop this site.
246. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what immediate steps are being taken to hold the executive of Mayo County Council accountable for the current stagnation in the delivery of the affordable housing scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49522/23]
View answer247. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what measures will be implemented to expedite the development of affordable housing within the Mayo County Council area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49523/23]
View answer248. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm whether there is a strategic plan in place to ensure that such delays are not encountered in future affordable housing scheme deliveries and that Mayo County Council has a plan to deliver affordable housing. [49524/23]
View answer249. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details on the number of affordable homes that will be built in Mayo between now and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49525/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 246, 247, 248 and 249 together.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the nine year period of the plan to 2030. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes to be facilitated by Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
As Minister I have a policy and funding role in relation to the delivery of affordable housing in line with Housing For All. The development of each local affordable housing delivery programme and the administration of individual schemes approved for grant subsidy under the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) is a matter for the local authority concerned, in this case Mayo County Council.
Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. Each local authority was asked to assess the level of housing demand with affordability constraint projected for their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment Tool and plan their provision accordingly. Local authorities with the highest levels of affordable housing need were asked to prepare Affordable Delivery Plans as part of their overall Plans and were set five-year Affordable Delivery Targets. A copy of the Housing Delivery Action Plan for Mayo is available on its website at the following link:
www.mayo.ie/en-ie/your-council/services/housing-services/social-housing/housing-delivery-action-plan.
Mayo does not have a specific affordability target but has identified localised need, i.e. new households being formed unable to access housing for purchase or rent at prices/rents affordable to them and is developing an affordable housing delivery programme to respond appropriately. To date it has received approval for subsidy from the AHF to assist in the delivery of 13 affordable homes in Springfield, Westport.
At a recent meeting with the Department, Mayo County Council indicated that a number of additional affordable housing schemes are being prepared for which it intends applying for AHF subsidy support. The Department will continue to assist and support Mayo as it develops its affordability programme.
Local authorities also now complete and submit data returns to my Department on delivery of affordable homes in their area in the same manner as is done for social housing. Statistical reports detailing affordable housing delivery during 2022 and for the first two quarters of 2023 are available on my Department's website at the following link - www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery It is worth noting that these reports show some significant early delivery of affordable homes via the First Home scheme in Mayo.
Given the profile of the county, it is expected that the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund and the Ready to Build services sites schemes will also make a significant contribution to addressing overall affordability needs in Mayo. Both of these schemes have been advertised by Mayo County Council on its official website.
Significant progress is being made to deliver the ambitious targets contained in Housing for All and my Department is working closely with the local authorities, including Mayo County Council, and with Approved Housing Bodies, the LDA, and retail banks via the First Home, to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing.
250. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding housing estates in urban areas that are not connected to the sewerage network; if any grant funding is being considered in this case; if existing rural programmes could be expanded to include any housing estate with a long-standing communal septic tank set up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49528/23]
View answerI understand the Question refers to housing estates with Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure (DPI).
My Department provides funding to progressively address DPI issues under the Multi-Annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme which is focused on housing estates which do not have their water services connected to the public network but instead rely on communal waste water treatment infrastructure provided by developers of the estate.
The aim of the multi-annual programme is to provide funding to local authorities to assist them in implementing solutions that resolve these legacy DPI water services issues thus progressively enabling these estates to be taken in charge.
Funding of €68.5 million has been allocated, under the National Development Plan, for the period 2021-2025, for legacy water services issues (this sum includes a small allocation for domestic lead pipe remediation).
In June 2023, I announced allocations under the multi-annual programme of over €14.7 million to benefit over 850 households. This was in addition to allocations in September 2020 of over €3.36 million to benefit almost 950 households. The two tranches account for almost 25% of the total number of households depending on DPI for their water services.
It will take a number of funding programmes to fully resolve estates with DPI, however, my Department is fully committed to progressing the taking in charge of these estates through increased funding over the coming years.
Separately, I recently announced improved Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems grant schemes. In these instances, where households have individual treatment systems (mostly septic tanks), the new grant schemes will, subject to their terms and conditions, support the resolution of defective systems by connection to the Uisce Éireann system where that is more cost effective.
251. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if households that have had their septic tank inspected and have failed, but have applied for the domestic waste water treatment systems grant to upgrade or replace their existing tanks, will be eligible for the recently announced improved grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49535/23]
View answerMy Department provides financial support through the domestic waste water treatment system (DWWTS) grant schemes to assist householders in carrying out works to repair, upgrade or replace defective septic tanks.
The changes I recently announced to these grants are to increase the maximum grant level available to €12,000 (up from €5,000) and remove a requirement for the historical registration of the DWWTS with the local authority in order to be eligible for a grant.
These changes will take effect from 1 January 2024 and I expect to publish the regulations and details of the terms and conditions in the coming weeks. Existing applicants may be eligible for the new grant schemes, provided that all eligibility criteria are met and can contact their local authority to confirm eligibility when the details of the new schemes are published.
252. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the process of developing and agreeing Designated Marine Area Plans, including the breakdown of areas to be mapped, timeline for publication of draft maps, process for agreeing maps and details of the extent of public consultation in this process. [49539/23]
View answerThe Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 (Sections 20-29) provides for Designated Maritime Area Plans or DMAPs. These are forward-looking sub-national plans that contribute to the overall vision for marine spatial planning in the Irish maritime area.
DMAPs are intended to be flexible forward planning tools that can be used for geographic based plans or sectoral-based plans that focus on the sustainable development of marine activities and provide innovative solutions for managing the maritime area.
In order to prepare a DMAP, a public body (a Minister of the Government, a local authority, or a body other than a company established by or under an enactment) must first be designated as a competent authority in accordance with Section 20 of the MAP Act 2021.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications is the only public body to date to have been designated as a Competent Authority. This designation on the 5th of July 2023 was for the purposes of preparing and publishing a Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) or Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs) in respect of offshore renewable energy (ORE) for the Irish maritime area. Details of the designation are provided here:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/ef340-designation-of-minister-for-environment-climate-and-communications-as-competent-authority-ref-ddes-23-001/.
Since designation, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has submitted a proposal for a South Coast ORE DMAP which I have approved and the designated Minister is now in the process of preparing a draft DMAP.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications provided a geographical area in the South Coast ORE DMAP proposal which extended from the High Water Mark on Ireland’s south coast to the 80 metre depth contour and/or the edge of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The DMAP process includes a statutory requirement to provide opportunities for comprehensive engagement with interested citizens and local communities. The publication of any DMAP Proposal must be accompanied by a Public Participation Statement (PPS) outlining opportunities for the involvement of interested persons in the DMAP process.
The Public Participation Statement on the South Coast DMAP was published by the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications in July 2023 and includes details of public engagement periods, events and engagement with stakeholder bodies.
The South Coast ORE DMAP proposal and Public Participation Statement are available at this location:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/36d9a-designated-maritime-area-plan-dmap-proposal-for-offshore-renewable-energy/.
As per the MAP Act Section 23(6), a copy of this public participation statement was laid before the Oireachtas on 17 July 2023.
Following a period of engagement and consideration of relevant responses in line with the public participation statement, the next step in the process will be for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to prepare a draft DMAP and submit it to me for review. Under Section 24 of the MAP Act, I will review the Draft DMAP for consistency between the draft DMAP and:
• The MSP Directive;
• The Marine Planning Policy Statement;
• The National Marine Planning Framework;
• Any relevant guidelines or directives.
Further amendments (and additional environmental assessment of amendments) may be required arising from this review.
Following progression from this stage, the DMAP will need to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas together with Environmental Statements and Appropriate Assessment determinations and will require a resolution to approve it.
There is no statutory time period provided under Section 24 for how long it will take me to review the draft DMAP or for the Houses of the Oireachtas to adopt a resolution.
Once a DMAP has been prepared it will be required to be reviewed within 6 years.
I am currently working on a set of Ministerial Guidelines to add further detail to the DMAP process and these guidelines will be subject to environmental assessment and public consultation once a draft has been prepared to share.
