Results 121-140 of 1,041,979 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: If I were very ungenerous, I would say it was the Department saying the quiet bit out loud.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Do not mention the war.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I agree 100% with the Cathaoirleach.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Let me continue with some of this discussion. On page 143 of the amendment document, a table sets out targets for onshore renewable wind and solar energy. Is that the first time those targets have been set out in a statutory fashion or have they been transposed from somewhere else?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: To be clear, that table is not indicative; as it is actually part of national policy objective 75 it has the legal weight of that policy objective. That raises a couple of interesting questions. Again, this is not to argue against the targets that are there. It relates to the Cathaoirleach's legitimate question regarding the onshore wind regulations. In some ways, the document seems to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I assume there will be a revision in light of this policy objective and its outworking through the regional assemblies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: When these targets were being set, both in terms of the total amount and the regional distribution, what were they based on? They obviously are not based on the current development plans or the regional spatial and economic strategies. I am interested to know where they came from.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: There is a regional distribution and then there is a distribution across a number of categories. How is the regional distribution established? Is it set out in the climate action plan?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: The energise capacity for the eastern and midland region is 284 MW, which is a very small amount out of the total of 4,667 MW. This is just a query. It is not a criticism. Why is the eastern and midland region target for the energise capacity so low, as set out in the column I am referring to, compared with the targets for the other two regions? Is it reflective of a higher existing level...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: There is already a higher level of energise capacity in the eastern and midland region. Therefore, what it is expected to deliver over the next period is lower.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Does the next column represent the additionality that needs to be achieved arising from this national policy objective?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Okay. My question then, to flip that, is whether the figure for the southern region is lower than the other two because it has a higher level of energise capacity currently.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: I do not see a similar national policy objective for offshore wind energy. Is that because this document is not the right place for it? Perhaps it fits within the marine spatial plan. Is there a comparable table in that plan for offshore wind?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: This is just a query. Is there no comparable spatial distribution of the overall targets set out in the climate action plan?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Sure. What is significant about this policy objective is that, in respect of onshore wind, it takes the macro targets from the climate action plan and says the regional distribution of those targets should be as per the table provided. There is nothing comparable anywhere for offshore wind. Am I correct in that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: It will be done as the DMAPs roll out?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: However, at a State-wide level, there has been no attempt to set out what the spatial distribution should be in respect of offshore wind. I just want to understand the situation. In regard to onshore wind, there is a setting out of the regional distribution. With offshore, decisions on regional distribution are being left to the DMAP process, with the requirement that the sum of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: Will the witnesses run through the figures for the compact growth targets again? Have they changed from the earlier version? If I knew the page in the amended document, I could flip through it. This is to continue the conversation Deputy Leddin started.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consultation on the Draft National Planning Framework: Discussion (11 Jul 2024)

Eoin Ó Broin: That is what I am asking. I am trying to find the page. I refer to the amended document.