Results 1-20 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (7 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: 442. To ask the Minister for Health the steps that are being taken for polycythemia vera patients who rely on Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) to manage this condition and who are now affected by a Pegasys shortage that was announced by the Health Products Regulatory Authority on 1 August 2024. [45620/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: I welcome everybody to the meeting, the purpose of which is to discuss the national planning framework further. From the Climate Change Advisory Council, I welcome: Professor Edgar Morgenroth, council member and professor of economics at DCU; Mr. George Hussey, secretariat manager; and Ms Gina Kelly, scientific officer. We have received their opening statement. From the Department of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Professor Morgenroth. The council wrote to the Minister in September. Has a response been received concerning the issues raised?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: It was a submission to the public consultation process. I thank Mr. Hussey for that information. I call Mr. Hogan, who is going to make the opening statement on behalf of the Department.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Hogan very much. May I clarify something? The draft went out for public consultation and that process is now finished. Amendments have been made to the draft that went out. These are currently undergoing SEAs or environmental assessments. What is the next step? What happens when those assessments are done? Does it go back out to public consultation if it is significantly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy Ó Broin. I want to clarify something. With regard to the housing target, it is not a cap as such, it is a target. We have seen in Housing for All where the targets have been achieved and over. Where you are setting out that target, it is not saying that it shall be 50,000 and only that. Many things can change in an economy, such as interest, capacity and household...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Dalton and call on Senator Cummins.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: The Southern Regional Assembly sat in this very room in the context of the planning Bill and stated on the record of the House that it felt the Tramore area should absolutely be in the Waterford metropolitan area strategic plan. Is Ms Walsh saying the regional assemblies will have the ability to be able to do that then?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is a matter for the members of the RSES to put forward. It is not a question for the Department.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: That is grand. I thank Mr. Hogan for that. I will now move to the members. The first on our rota is Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: I thank Senator Boyhan for those very kind words. I ask that he might tell my constituents that also, please, and to take that opportunity-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: ----- as they may wonder why I have been in the basement for the past four years. The next speaking slot is my own. I want to turn to the Climate Change Advisory Council first. It states that it is critical to complete this very important document this year. Obviously, it will not be passed in this Oireachtas term as we are going into an election. There will be the formation of a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: I know that the Department of Transport has done TOD work also. If a definition of TOD were to be produced, an official government-wide accepted definition, is it best utilised in the renewable energy support schemes and then into the development plans? Is that where the Climate Change Advisory Council is coming from?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: One of the criticisms about transport planning and land use planning is that sometimes they do not align with each other, where one has the National Transport Authority, NTA, responsible for, for example, the greater Dublin area transport strategy. There are development plans as well. The planners, the local authorities and the councillors do not have control over transport capacity or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: The greater Dublin area transport strategy statutory document, CMATS and LSMATS are non-statutory at the moment. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: As regards the wind energy guidelines, I do not want to have a repeat of the conversation on rural housing that Senator Boyhan spoke about. I will make the point, however, on rural housing that the Planning Regulator issued its report in 2021 or 2022, highlighting that more than a quarter - I think it was 27% - of housing planning permissions were for one-off housing, so it is obviously not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: Just to clarify that, does CSO data suggest we have reached or exceeded our compact growth targets for housing delivery?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: But not in a balanced regional way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: Are we talking inside the greater Dublin area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework (Resumed): Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is not necessarily a good thing, however, if we have compact growth in areas where people are just sitting in their cars for an hour and a half in the morning without good transport.