Chris Andrews
Labour Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I want to move an amendment to No. 1 on the Order Paper, proposing an orderly winding down of the accommodation recognition payment scheme in a way that is fair and efficient. I note today is the last day of Dáil and Seanad sittings before the summer recess.”
“The Government can point to housing and claim that there are huge successes. There is only success for the wealthy, the well-off, the developers and the landlords. They are all delighted with Government policy.”
“Government will say, "Look at the positives", but there are a huge amount of challenges. You need not look any further than the housing crisis. Of course, the Government will point to an increased number of housing developments. However, those housing developments are for the very well-off.”
“We supported the development of housing on the Glass Bottle site. We worked hard to ensure to get more social housing. Unfortunately, the Government would not do that. Now it seems that the so-called "affordable housing" on the Glass Bottle site will be unaffordable.”
“I move amendment No. 14: In page 7, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “Annual report 11. The Minister shall, within the first six months of the year, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report outlining the application of this Act, providing an update on— (a) how many successful actions were brought under section 14…”
“I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “ “settlement service” means a service provided in whole or in part within a postal code or relevant occupied territory to which this Act applies;”.”
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“We have great football people, but I am concerned that if they do not have the full allocation that they requested and that they need to make it work, falling short of that figure will hamper them. That is my concern.”
“The investment is welcome. My concern is that if you look at many of the sports capital projects, clubs put in an application for €100 million and they get €50 million. The reality is that they cannot deliver that project because they do not have what they need to deliver out on the project. They were looking for €4.5 million to make the project work. My concern is that the €3 million will not allow them to finish out that project, the development of academies, in the way that is required to make it work into the future. I always believe it is an investment. It is not a grant or some handout; it is an investment. It is investment in communities and Irish football.”
“The key to this is the League of Ireland and its academies, which allow players to engage in football in their own towns and cities and gives them the contact hours and education they need. The league has been long abandoned by the State, with outdated infrastructure and a lack of recognition by broadcasters and policymakers. Its popularity is steadily growing in spite of the challenges, but underfunding remains the primary obstacle to the long-term success of Irish football. I urge the Government to finally recognise the vital importance of the League of Ireland to Irish football and ask the Minister of State to lay out whether the Government has plans to develop the league to meet its potential. I wish Shamrock Rovers success on Sunday in the FAI cup final, which should be a great occasion.”
“Too often, however, this hope is let down by the obvious lack of ambition or interest in football by the State going back decades. The investment compared with other countries competing between positions 50 to 100 shows that we lag way behind in the world rankings. This has resulted in a base of players which is simply not up to scratch compared with other countries of a similar size and stature to Ireland. No change in manager will transform our international team into one capable of qualifying for major tournaments. The reality is that we have to take a systemic and grassroots approach. We cannot sit around and wait for success to magically come our way. We have to invest in the sport at a community level to enable our young players to develop skills and progress through their career.”
“If we want to see the likes of Italia 90 and Euro 88 again, the very basic requirement must be the proper funding and resourcing of our academies. A significant number of young players are eager and passionate to develop and succeed here and fulfil their potential, but they simply do not have the opportunity or contact hours they need to develop and grow, not to mention a lack of facilities and coaching staff. We have unbelievably good football people in Ireland, along with great sports people and committed volunteers who do Trojan work each and every day to support their communities and Irish football. There is a huge appetite for football in the country. Before practically every international campaign, the nation is filled with hope for the matches ahead and an eagerness to see our boys and girls in green succeed.”
“The sad fact is that our international team is a pale shadow of its former self and our domestic league is miles off where it should be and could be if it had the investment it desperately needed over the years. We are simply not able to compete at an international level and are at present incapable of sustainably developing players or clubs from a grassroots level. We need a seismic shift in funding and a completely new approach to Irish football by the State. Unfortunately, €3 million is not enough. It is a good start, but more has to be committed to. Some €4.5 million was requested by the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, for academies in its pre-budget submission, but this baseline figure was not delivered in the budget.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I acknowledge and welcome Shelbourne's new 250-year lease on its grounds, which is positive and will secure the club's future. I believe it signed the lease yesterday with Dublin City Council. It can develop the way a club of its standing should. It is a great community club. I also want to wish the Irish under-17s, with Colin O'Brien as manager, good luck in the World Cup. Their first game today is against Panama and I wish the team well. Last month, the Government announced €3 million in funding for the establishment of League of Ireland academies. This was very welcome. It is long overdue and a small step forward.”
“If people are cycling on the greenway towards Tallaght in the evening, the lights will be activated, so there will be lighting as people travel along. This should be done in public parks. The council is happy enough to light up a park for a particular event, but that is where it ends. There is a lot of antisocial behaviour in the dark evenings, and there are places that people feel unsafe walking around. Dublin City Council leaves the parks open, so they are accessible to people and people take a chance but that is not something they should have to do. The parks should be lit up. Ringsend Park was lit up last week for a particular event and it was a fantastic facility. It allowed people to walk and use the park late into the evening. All parks should be lit up and welcoming all year around, not just for the summer months.”
“I also extend my sympathies on the passing of Sr. Stan. She always backed the underdog and she advocated for those in homelessness and those newly arriving in Ireland. Those are two very important things she did in her life. Sr. Stan always put those on the margins first. She loved people who may not have seen much love during their life. She has left a huge legacy, something that we as a society need to build on. On another issue, as the evenings get darker, public parks are closing at 5 p.m. or 5.30 p.m. In effect, this means that all of the parks are inaccessible to working families. Anybody arriving home at 5 p.m. or 5.30 p.m. cannot use the parks for six months of the year. There should be a programme for this. I have raised the issue with Dublin City Council but the council has done absolutely nothing about it.”
“As we get closer to Christmas, we must ask people to rescue a dog. If you look among the huge number of rescues, you will definitely find a dog that is perfect for you. I visited a number of pounds recently and have absolutely no doubt that there is a dog out there for every family. Whatever you do, do not support puppy farms that are abusing breeding dogs and puppies this Christmas.”
“Some judges already do this but it is at their discretion and not set out in law. Dog Law Ireland believes, and I agree, that this needs to be changed. Another of the recommendations is that judges need to get some training in animal welfare issues to become familiar with the crisis and with dog, horse and pet welfare in general. Abusers of dogs and other pets should be given a lifetime ban from owning a pet. Puppy farms are, in effect, a form of fast fashion. People pick out their designer puppies and go home happy. The devastation they come from is unseen to the buyer. It is horrendous and wide open for abuse. Puppy farms are a lucrative business for those who operate them. A journalist, John Mooney, indicated that at one stage puppy farms and puppy breeding were more lucrative than drug dealing and transporting drugs.”
“I extend my condolences to the family of former Senator Michael Calnan and to the Labour Party. Breaches under the Animal Health and Welfare Act area beyond disappointing. They are absolutely shocking. They are not a deterrent at all. Recent cases highlight how ineffective and lenient the courts and legislation are on animal abusers. Dog Law Ireland, a group of solicitors who are dog and animal welfare advocates, has made recommendations to address the leniency in sentencing for animal abusers. The first is that lifetime bans should be imposed by default unless the judge sees good reason not to do so. It also proposes the introduction of a specific ban on abusers keeping pets at their properties to prevent them saying that those pets belonged to family members.”
“The Irish Glass Bottle site is only accessible off the Sean Moore Road, one road, and that is already like a car park for hours each morning and evening. Residents in the new houses take their lives in their hands trying to exit their estate because of the poor planning on this road. The delivery of the Luas is really important. It was promised and then withdrawn. It is really important to new and existing residents of Ringsend and the Irish Glass Bottle site. People across Dublin, particularly the south inner city, have been deprived of access to adequate housing for generations. This offers a real opportunity and the Government is not taking it.”
“The Irish Glass Bottle site has the potential to completely change the character of the area and it is vital that this development proceed in a way that adds to the community rather than replaces or displaces it. There is a real concern that development of facilities and services will not match the increase in population. Cambridge Football Club is experiencing that issue. It is already struggling to find enough space to cater for the ever-increasing number of young boys and girls playing football. Dublin City Council is unable to support them with resources. The council needs to plan ahead for the increased number of children that will be in the expanded community and the Government needs to support the council in doing this and support clubs like Cambridge. The long delay of the delivery of the Luas is another huge concern.”
“Of course, this is very welcome for the 57 people who will secure a new home on that site. However, the Ringsend and Pearse Street communities deserve better and they deserve more than a meagre 300 units out of the 3,800 new homes planned for the Irish Glass Bottle site. There is a drastic shortage of public and affordable housing in the Ringsend and Pearse Street areas. Too often developers are allowed to undermine and circumvent their Part V obligations in order to further line their pockets, with the State failing to fight for the best interests of working class communities. Residents in Ringsend and Irishtown have fought for the last decade to ensure this site will include public and affordable housing and it is important that the local community not be ignored and sidelined.”
“As a Shamrock Rovers supporter, I support Senator Ní Chuilinn's congratulations to Pico Lopes. Let us hope he does the league and cup double this year and adds to his great year qualifying for the World Cup. The Government is going to miss its social and affordable housing targets this year. There is too much red tape holding back councils and approved housing bodies. This is why house prices, rents and homelessness keep rising. Three and a half thousand new homes are due to be built - it could be 3,800 new homes - on the Irish Glass Bottle site over the next ten years and only 300 of those will be public homes. It was recently announced that 57 public homes will be acquired by Dublin City Council in the first phase of the development of the Irish Glass Bottle site.”
“That is a big site with huge potential for redevelopment. That is where you will get the additionality. The Government needs to be flexible and do the right thing for residents of Pearse House.”
“If the Government were serious about additionality, then it should know that there are sites right beside Pearse House which Dublin City Council own and which could be developed in order to create additionality. However, there is no flexibility on the part of the Government to ensure that some quality of life is bestowed on the residents of Pearse House and Markiewicz House. Those residents and their counterparts in all the other flat complexes have been forgotten. I ask that the Government show some flexibility in the context of additionality. This matter should not just be viewed in the context of that tight site at Pearse House; it should also encompass the adjacent properties that Dublin City Council owns. If you go further afield in the area - but and not that much further - you will come across Verschoyle Court just up the road.”
“In addition, there are raw sewage leaks in all flat complexes right across the city. These flats are collapsing around the people who live in them. The residents of Pearse House have engaged in an amazing campaign. They have worked really hard with the council. In fairness, the council and Mick Mulhern have been very supportive and are looking to come up with solutions. Ultimately, it is the Government that holds the purse strings. As a result, it is the Government that will decide what happens to Pearse House. It has decided to put Pearse House residents on hold, having raised their hopes for a number of years. The residents have campaigned for a long time. They are determined and will not go away. They are going to continue to fight for their rights and for some sort of decent and humane conditions to live in.”
“Earlier this year, Pearse House residents were devastated to hear that the regeneration plans for their flat complex were going to be pulled. The Government said the plans were pulled because there was no additionality on the site. On a superficial level, one would think that is reasonable. However, the Pearse House complex was built in the 1930s. The flats are absolutely tiny. There is also a preservation order on complex. It was impossible to get additionality on a tight site that is subject to such an order. This has been devastating for residents. They had hopes to move to adequate, proper accommodation, but that now seems a distant dream. They are not alone. Their counterparts in Markiewicz House, a complex located not far from Pearse House, live in similar conditions. That complex is affected by damp and mould.”
“Such a database would improve the management and the welfare of dogs so much. It would make a huge difference, and it is very achievable. There also needs to be a national euthanasia policy. Given that some local authorities do not have a policy at all, it would make sense to have a national policy in relation to the euthanising of dogs.”
“It is clear from our visit that there is a real stress and pressure on pounds and rescues. I know from speaking to rescues that they are being overwhelmed by the number of dogs coming into them. I did not realise it, but Sweden and Florida in the United States take many of Ireland’s abandoned and rescue dogs. Those working in rescue centres are at breaking point. The stress, anxiety and emotional distress for these people are intense. They should not have to put up with any of that; they are picking up the tab for Government’s failure to address the crisis in dog welfare here. Some measures that could be taken by the Government, which are desperately needed, are a neutering and chip programme and the establishment of a single database. It is beyond me how, in 2025, we cannot have a single database for the registering of dogs.”
“I very much welcome the respite for Palestinians in Gaza. However, I most definitely do not want to be associated with the congratulations to Donald Trump, who is a genocide enabler and a psychopath, in my view. I also extend my sympathies to Senator Teresa Costello on the loss of her father. We are thinking of her. Today, a group of TDs, Senators and MEPs visited Dublin city dog pound in Newcastle. I thank Dublin City Council's Richard Herlihy and Barbara Jackson, who work in the pound and, clearly, care for the dogs. The pound is really good and clean and, clearly, the dogs are, like I said, cared for. I understand this pound is one of the better ones compared with many across the country. Certainly, if all pounds were like this, it would be positive.”
“However, without justice there will be no peace. Palestinians have not had any justice for decades. We need to see Palestinians get justice. If there is a real justice, this deal will work. It remains to be seen whether justice will be built into this deal. If there is no justice, there will be no peace in the long run.”
“I also acknowledge the Minister, Simon Harris, for the empathy he showed to us. His calls were very much appreciated and very kind. I acknowledge the Department of foreign affairs which did so much to help the Irish delegation when we were released. We are forever grateful for their assistance. Being part of the flotilla was a huge privilege and I met many amazing and inspiring individuals. It is now more important than ever to keep the momentum going, to keep protesting and to keep our eyes on Gaza and Palestine. We need to keep supporting justice for Palestinians. On the recent deal between Israel and Hamas, any respite that Palestinians get is welcome. It will be welcome to see all hostages released. I sincerely hope that the deal will bring justice. Obviously, peace is the objective and it is really important that we get peace.”
“I am very thankful for all the support we received while we were in an Israeli prison. In particular I thank Irish Sport for Palestine which was really supportive to me and the group. On a daily basis it holds Israel to account in terms of sport. I also thank the ambassador to Israel, Sonya McGuinness, who was fantastic. I thank Evan Cunningham in Israel who came into the prison to meet us and was very reassuring. I know they are working under very challenging conditions. They were very reassuring and professional. I also thank our ambassador to Greece, Ciara O'Floinn, and Leah Palleschi who were unbelievably kind, supportive, reassuring and professional. I thank Mary Lou McDonald, our party leader and Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire for their support from start to finish. Their support meant so much to family and friends.”
“I thank everybody for their good wishes. It is nice to be back. The surroundings are a lot nicer than I have been used to for the last month or so. On 1 October, Israel kidnapped citizens of 44 nations from international waters. They were on a humanitarian mission, a non-violent peaceful mission. Despite kidnapping 44 citizens from 44 nations, Israel faces no consequences. It is remarkable that it has been allowed to act with impunity in committing countless war crimes, genocide and man-made famine. It has also dismantled the international rules that have applied for many decades. Its act of piracy against the Global Sumud Flotilla was just another example in the very long list of international crimes. As I said, it was a non-violent humanitarian mission looking to bring in baby formula and medicines. We had baby formula on our boat.”
“All the task force will do is allow Government Senators and TDs to stand up and say they will do things differently now, even though they have overseen the demise of the inner city for decades.”
“Very often there are tents lying open and homeless people on the other side of the street. Senator McCarthy will know well that Pearse Street is lively and active but on the Trinity College side there is that systemic neglect. The Dublin City Taskforce will not address the systemic neglect of the inner city. Dublin City Council has that remit. The local councillors do not and have not had any engagement in relation to this. Looking at the conditions people are expected to live in, the public realm and the lack of employment and educational opportunities for people living in the inner city, they are completely unacceptable and the task force will not solve this.”
“It is already Dublin City Council's job to refurbish and regenerate flat complexes right across the city but it will not be doing that because it does not have the funding. The council has already pulled the plug on the redevelopment and regeneration of Pearse House. The conditions in which people are living in the inner city, such as in Leo Fitzgerald House, are absolutely shocking, not just on the northside but on the southside as well. The task force will not actually affect the lives of residents. Look at Trinity College, which has turned its back on the local community in Pearse Street. If you walk from Trinity College down to Westland Row all of one side of the street is effectively sterile because Trinity College and planning has meant there is no life on that street.”
“The Dublin City Taskforce should really be renamed the "north inner city Dublin task force" because it will not actually impact the south inner city. For instance, Pearse Street and Kevin Street are very important parts of the city and the task force will have no impact there. Dublin City Council has been appointed to head up this new task force and to regenerate the inner city. It is supposed to be doing that anyway. The reason Dublin City Council is not doing it is because it is not getting the funding. This task force says it will get Dublin City Council to fast track and work on the regeneration of the flats in the inner city. Dublin City Council is already supposed to be doing that and working on improving the lives of people living in the inner city. The difficulty is that the funding for the local authorities is not there.”
“Before I call up the next speaker, I welcome visitors from Teach Oscail Family Resource Centre, Cavan, who are guests of Senator Pauline Tully. If they were with a school we would give them homework off for the rest of the week, but they are not. They are very welcome. I call Senator Joe Flaherty.”
“We are talking about disability access and so on and it just is not right. We need to invest in League of Ireland football because if we do not, not only will it affect our men's and women's international teams but we will not have a local industry. We have the horse racing industry and the greyhound industry and the Government is happy to support them. Yet with a 1% increase in the betting tax, we could create a football industry. Unfortunately, however, the Government has decided not to do that, although before the election its members flirted with the electorate around improving investment in sport. After the election they just ghosted them. It is not acceptable. We need a commitment to back sport, football and League of Ireland football, and ensure that Katie Taylor fights in Croke Park.”
“A 1% tax increase in the betting levy would have raised approximately €50 million. This would have been a huge boost to all sports, not just the big three. It would have affected sports like rowing and cricket as well. It would also have been a huge opportunity to invest in League of Ireland soccer because Irish soccer is not looking great. I heard speculation the Minister of State's party is approaching Packie Bonner to run for President. I am not sure if he will rule that out. We have to invest in Irish football. Irish football, or Irish soccer, is on its knees in terms of facilities. It is going through a revival with regard to fans and fan support but the facilities are absolutely appalling. In some League of Ireland grounds the toilets are just Portakabins or Portaloos. That is just not acceptable in this day and age.”
“In Dublin, we need continued support for Dalymount Park, Richmond Park and Tolka Park, alongside vital community resources such as Irishtown Stadium, which is vital to the community in Ringsend and Irishtown and for local clubs Crusaders and St. Patrick's CYFC, in particular. St. Pat's, a local football team, put in a huge amount of effort and work into the community. I am disappointed that the Government has failed to commit to increasing the betting levy by 1% from 2% to 3% to finance sport investment. It would have been a huge boost for sport. The commitment to do so was in both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil's election manifestos, but was then silently dropped from the programme for Government after the election. No one has indicated that it will be considered in the upcoming budget.”
“Inner city clubs very often miss out on sports capital programme funding because their members do not have the professional skills required to submit successful applications. In affluent areas clubs can apply for funding. Its members have the professional skills and the time to do so. Clubs in these areas are disproportionately successful when applying for funds. In the past having the Minister in their constituency was a huge boost for clubs applying for sports capital grant funding in the past, although maybe not so much now. Successive Governments have failed to adopt an effective strategy in improving sports across the State resulting in Ireland consistently having the lowest rate of expenditure on sport and recreation.”
“I agree with Senator Ní Chuilin that Ireland is underinvesting in sport compared to our European neighbours and other smaller countries across the globe. We are clearly at the bottom of the table when it comes to sport investment and that has to change. Sinn Féin has repeatedly called for increased capital funding to reopen the LSIIF for a fresh round. The sports capital fund is welcome, but it does not issue funding annually. It is not consistent. It is not built into the system and the infrastructure. We need to ensure we have a sports facilities strategy. We need to carry out an audit across the country to discover where the gaps are and where there is a good supply of facilities. That audit has to inform a sports facilities strategy.”
“Likewise, we can only be proud of our record-breaking Olympic team last summer and the continued success and positivity of our Gaelic games. It is worth recognising the popularity of our domestic sports. Football, hurling and camogie are essentially unrivalled in Europe where globalised sports such as soccer, cricket and rugby are the only games in town. Where else in Europe can indigenous sports attract many tens of thousands of supporters in the same way that the ongoing All-Ireland football and hurling championships can as we have seen over recent weekends? However, that does not change the fact that our sports facilities and programmes have been chronically under-resourced and under-supported for years.”
“The least that Katie deserves is a fight in Croke Park. He can make it happen and should make it happen. Katie deserves it. If he can back two American football teams, he can back our own. The Minister should back Katie Taylor to fight in Croke Park in one of her last fights. That would be important.”
“Sport is the bedrock of many communities across Ireland. It is so important for physical and mental health. GAA, soccer, rowing, cricket, boxing and many other sports clubs are vital outlets for youth and social participation helping not only individual physical and mental health but building social bonds that can last a lifetime, tying together and supporting people of all ages. We should be proud of our sporting achievements. Last weekend, Katie Taylor proved that she is the GOAT, greatest of all time and that she is world class. She is an icon for women's sport and boxing. Katie Taylor deserves to have one of her last fights in Croke Park. It is incumbent on the Minister to ensure this happens. He is investing €10 million in bringing two American football teams over to participate in a once-off event in Dublin.”
“Irish Children’s Museum Limited is an organisation that has no transparency and is looking to inflict much damage on the Iveagh Gardens. We need to protect the Iveagh Gardens. We can have a museum and we can have the gardens. One is not dependent on the other.”
“Many families around the country are waiting, looking forward to hosting the children coming over for two weeks to play football and sport. The suggestion that GAA Palestine was looking for the Minister to break any laws is unfair on GAA Palestine. They have put in a huge amount of work. The appeal is in and it should not take months. It can be expedited. We know the Government can do this. We know the Minister for Justice can expedite applications. The information is in. I ask that it be expedited and that the Minister come in here and explain how he could refuse these applications. On another note, I agree with Senator O’Loughlin regarding a national science museum. It is important that we have a national science museum. However, we should not have one at the expense of the Iveagh Gardens.”
“There seems to be one law for Palestinians who are applying for visas in Ireland and one law for Israelis applying for visas in Ireland. There are no restrictions on Israelis applying for visas here. Looking at the recent example of GAA Palestine trying to bring 33 children here to Ireland to play GAA - Gaelic football and hurling - it would be a huge opportunity for the children and mentors. We are all aware that the Minister for Justice rejected their initial application, and they now have an appeal in. I ask that the Minister expedite it. He said he was not going to break the law. GAA Palestine is not looking for the Minister to break the law. They are looking for him to expedite the case so they can travel on Friday, which is their due date to travel.”
“We see new builds going up, contrasting with the flats at Pearse House, Markievicz House and Mercer House, which have been neglected and forgotten about and which now suffer from dampness and mould. These flats contrast with the new buildings going up. The communities there are being forgotten about because the people moving into the new accommodation will mostly not want to be part of the community. They will just be transient. These small apartments may be fine for them for a year or two but they are not suitable for long-term tenants who want to integrate and to send their kids to school locally. They will not use the services. Renters and local communities are once again being given the short end of the stick.”
“I realise the glass bottle site is an SDZ. Will this developer apply for a new planning permission for smaller apartments and get rid of the arts, cultural and community spaces? The smaller sizes allowed under this new law will suit developers, the buy-to-rent market and vulture funds but they will not suit ordinary families who are looking to settle and put down roots in a community. It will be attractive to vulture funds, which will buy these units to rent. It will effectively mean that vast tracts of housing stock will be sterile. These smaller units will suit people looking for medium-term hotel accommodation. We see the amount of development in the inner city.”
“It will increase delays while developers seek new planning permissions. Senator Boyhan highlighted the fact that planning permissions have been granted for 50,000 homes. Can the Minister of State assure us that all of these developers will not seek new planning permissions? The site on Kevin Street is a good example of where a developer might seek a new permission. It has been stalled for nearly 18 months now and has been put up for sale again. I imagine the new developer will look for planning permission for this new smaller size of apartments. Councillor Claire Byrne of the Green Party did amazing work in securing arts, cultural and community spaces in local developments. If you want proper sustainable developments, you need to ensure there are arts, drama and community facilities in large developments.”
“Despite our concerns, we will not oppose the passage of the Bill but I will again highlight that rushing legislation at the last minute, especially planning legislation, without full committee scrutiny is simply not good governance. It raises the risk of error, opens the door to legal ambiguity and ultimately delays the very developments the legislation is trying to accelerate. I have very grave concerns over the Government's broader housing proposals, particularly its plan to reduce apartment sizes. This is effectively a multi-billion euro gift from this Government to developers. It could triple the number of units per hectare. It introduces the failed co-living concept by the back door and will make land values skyrocket. There is no universe in which this is good public policy.”
“One of the main issues with the Bill is that while we need to ensure the legislation works for those genuine developers who need an extension to planning permissions for genuine reasons, we also need to make sure safeguards are in place to prevent speculators abusing this legislation. Last night, the Minister said that he does not see any risk of speculators doing this but the reality is that, as it stands, local authorities do not have the staff or capacity to enforce commencement notices and prevent misuse of these extensions. There has to be a basic standard of accountability so that extensions are not granted for speculative purposes. The proposals to reduce apartment sizes are absolutely extraordinary.”
“This kind of shortcut undermines the quality and scrutiny of our legislative process. While we acknowledge the technical need for the changes proposed in this Bill, the fact remains that the Government told us that the 2024 planning Act was a once-in-a-generation reform and rewrite of planning legislation. In spite of this, here we are mere months later to amend it. That tells us that the Government did not get it right the first time. This is not a once-in-a-generation reform; it is a once-in-every-few-months patch-up job. We owe it to communities, local authorities, developers and all people affected by the housing crisis to get this right. Sinn Féin tabled a number of amendments in the Dáil aimed at strengthening the Bill. These were not accepted but we will bring some of them forward again on Committee Stage here in the Seanad.”
“I have not met the Minister of State in here before so I will congratulate him on his new role. I welcome this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025. Sinn Féin is not opposing this Bill but we do have serious concerns with some parts of the legislation and with the manner in which it is being rushed through these Houses. Planning legislation is inherently complex and technical. Waiving pre-legislative scrutiny for a Bill of this nature is not good practice and should not become the norm. While my Sinn Féin colleagues in the Dáil did not oppose the waiving of pre-legislative scrutiny in this instance, we want it noted on the record that we are not satisfied that this is the right way to proceed with this kind of legislation.”