Page 21 - Development Bill News Today

The amount of electricity produced by wind energy hit a new record for March last month, according to a new report.

Concerns over Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien’s amendment to the Planning and Development Bill which is currently making its way through the Oireachteas, led to a suspension of standing orders at the Greystones Municipal District March meeting, such is the gravity of the amendment which is believed to have come on foot of the refusal for a major housing development in the town.

Lena Dias Martins looks at the obstacles causing delays and barriers to the rollout of solar in Ireland after a disappointing PV auction.

A travesty is being played out in Leinster House as the Coalition moves to force through legislation that would not only restrict public participation in the planning process but also turn local authorities into little more than agents for the implementation of nationally determined policies on everything from tall buildings to wind turbines.

Inside Politics: If Catherine Martin expected easy questioning from Coalition TDs over her handling of Siún Ní Raghallaigh she was wrong

Minister’s position does not appear in immediate danger but she is no front and centre of the drama

The timing of the next election could be crucial in determining the outcome and insiders say the Government is mulling three possible options

‘The idea witnesses would come in today before one committee and another tomorrow to answer the same questions is patently ridiculous’

Slow pace of deployment of renewable-energy projects poses chief risk to State’s climate objectives, warns energy economist Lisa Ryan

With the committee stage for the Planning and Development Bill getting under way in the Oireachtas last week, there is considerable scrutiny of this legislation, which is one of the most important pieces of policy the Government will deliver in this term.