Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 February 2018
286. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the procedure to put the national planning framework on a statutory footing; if the final document will be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas for a debate and vote; and if there will be an opportunity for the Houses of the Oireachtas to amend the document. [6572/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 will, once it is finalised and enacted, establish a legislative mechanism for preparing and adopting National Planning Frameworks (NPF) into the future, as well as placing the Framework on a formal statutory footing, much like the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) already provides a legislative process for the preparation and adoption of local authority development plans.
Enactment of the Bill also provides for oversight in the implementation of this new national element in the tier of statutory plans by an independent Office for Planning Regulation and for Oireachtas involvement in monitoring, reviewing and updating the framework.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Bill has now concluded its passage through the Dáil and is currently before the Seanad but is unlikely to advance to enactment in the near term, given that a significant number of amendments will need to be considered in the Seanad and these will then require to be approved by the Dáil.
Given that the work on the NPF and the associated 10-year Capital Investment Plan has been ongoing for some time and will be finalised in the coming weeks, the statutory process envisaged in the Bill in relation to the national planning framework will not be in place.
Notwithstanding this, the arrangements made for consultation and participation in the preparation of the NPF have taken into account the relevant provisions in the draft legislation, particularly in terms of -
- Submitting the draft Framework for consideration and approval by both Houses of the Oireachtas, and
- The Government having regard to any resolution or report from the Oireachtas in finalising the Framework.
Specifically, both Houses adopted a motion to refer the draft NPF to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government requesting that Committee to prepare a report on the draft document that would be considered in finalising the document. Through consideration of the report prepared by the Committee, coupled with the extensive debate in the Dáil over nine hours to which many Deputies contributed, from all sides of the House, the spirit of the legislative arrangements set out in the Bill has been respected, and we have carefully listened and taken on board many of the issues raised.
In addition, there has been an extensive wider consultation process, including formal engagement with the elected members of Regional Assemblies and Local Authorities, and the wide range of views received are being considered in finalising the NPF.
Having devoted a huge amount of effort on engagement and integrating views from across all parties into the final document, the priority now is to finalise and adopt this Framework, and the complementary 10-year Capital Plan so that there is effective strategic planning and infrastructure investment to meet the pressing needs of a resurgent economy and wider society.
A formal vote on the final NPF was never envisaged under the legislation, rather that both Houses would have a formal chance to input to the drafting process. Notwithstanding the extensive Oireachtas discussions that have already taken place on the draft NPF, I would be happy to facilitate further debate in the Houses on the final published NPF. The scheduling of Oireachtas business is, of course, ultimately a matter for both Houses themselves.
It should be noted also that there will be further opportunities to elaborate on the NPF at regional and local levels through forthcoming Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES’s), the preparation of which has begun in each of the three regions and which are due for completion by early 2019. In addition, in line with the proposed legislative framework, the NPF will be subject to periodic review and amendment, as necessary.
