Planning and sex-offender legislation
Denis Naughten asked about reforms affecting one-off houses and legislation concerning missing convicted sex offenders. The Taoiseach said building-regulation changes were being pursued quickly and that the sex-offender Bill was prioritised for the next Dáil session.
I have questions on two pieces of promised legislation. Last week the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, announced that he would reform the planning laws relating to one-off family homes. Is this a promise to bring in primary or secondary legislation? What is the timeline?
It has been disclosed today that 400 convicted rapists and paedophiles in the UK have gone missing, three of them in Northern Ireland where the PSNI is looking for them. It is likely that some are in this jurisdiction. Back in 2009 the then Minister for Justice, Deputy Dermot Ahern, told the House that the failure to modernise our sex offenders' law would lead to Ireland becoming a safe haven for convicted sex offenders. What is the timeline for the criminal justice (sex offenders) Bill? In light of the fact that we have already approved Second Stage of the child sex offenders (information and monitoring) Bill, will the Minister fast-track it through committee so that we can close off at least some of the gaping loopholes in our sex offenders' legislation to protect women, children and vulnerable adults from these sex offenders and any others who have gone AWOL?
Comment on this
Planning legislation for more than one-off houses is a matter for the local authorities, the planning offices and the planning appeals board.
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The Minister promised a change in the law.
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I think the Deputy is referring to the update of building regulations, which make it very costly. The Minister has done quite a bit of work on it and wants to make an intervention which will not affect the planning position of local authorities.
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Is there a timeline? A lot of people have already started.
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The Minister is anxious to move on it very quickly because the costs for people who get planning permission are pretty exorbitant.
The heads of the Bill on sex offenders were approved at Government level a year ago. A great deal of work has been done on it and it is being prioritised. I think it will be one of the first Bills to come in on the next session of the Dáil. As to whether it will be fast-tracked through committee, pre-legislative hearings have been held but it will be a matter for the committee members how quickly they want to move it forward.