Paul Murphy urges withdrawal of lithium licence at Moilisha Hill
Paul Murphy raised concerns about lithium exploration at Moilisha Hill, urging the withdrawal of the exploration licence and a meeting with local campaigners. He warned the activity could harm the Wicklow Way, biodiversity and local water supplies and asked the minister to intervene with the Department of the Environment.
Lithium exploration at Moilisha Hill
Paul Murphy said international mining companies, including a subsidiary of Ganfeng Lithium Corporation, are prospecting and mapping for a mine at Moilisha Hill. He reported local campaigners fear impacts on the Wicklow Way, biodiversity and water quality.
Local water and conservation concerns
Murphy highlighted an aquifer beneath Moilisha Hill that supplies local boreholes and springs feeding streams that flow into the Barrow and Slaney and into local areas of conservation. He said those environmental risks make the area vulnerable to mining activity.
Request for ministerial action and meeting
He asked the minister to intervene with the Department of the Environment to withdraw the licence granted for lithium exploration and to schedule a meeting with the Protect Moilisha Hill campaign. He also noted he would check the transcript and had to leave to speak at another meeting.
Housing for All delivery update recorded in the record
The record includes a government update on the Cabinet Committee on Housing and progress on Housing for All. It notes the Committee last met on 30 May and is scheduled to meet again on 11 July and says delivery of new homes has increased, citing 5,841 completions in Q1 and construction starts on more than 51,935 homes in the 12 months to end-May.
Policy measures, statistics and next steps
The statement lists measures said to be supporting delivery - a Development Levy Waiver, an Ishka Air and Connection Charge rebate, and a strong Future Delivery Pipeline - and reports nearly 38,000 planning permissions granted in the year to end Q1 2024 and 22,000 social homes at various stages. It gives uptake figures for affordability schemes - over 4,000 people used the first home scheme, more than 800 approvals in Q1 (up almost 40%), 3,500 Help to Buy claims so far in 2024 (up 28%), and first-time buyer mortgage approvals and drawdowns of 6,522 and 4,921 respectively in Q1 - and details vacancy and dereliction activity including 8,100 applications for the vacant property refurbishment grant with over 5,000 approved and 375 grants drawn down.
Legislative and planning actions ahead
The record refers to the Planning and Development Bill completing report stage on 12 June and due to commence in the Shannon on 27 June, a forthcoming draft first revision of the National Planning Framework for public consultation, an ESRI peer review of structural housing demand, revised targets to be published in autumn, and a Housing for All quarter two progress report scheduled for publication in July.
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Thanks, Laskan, Córla, Teachta. International mining companies, including a subsidiary of the world's largest lithium producer, Ganfeng Lithium Corporation, are on your doorstep in West Wicklow. They're prospecting for lithium and mapping for a mine at Moilisha Hill. Local people I've met with, campaigners, are very worried about the impact that this will have on the Wicklow Way, on biodiversity and on water quality. An aquifer that runs underneath Moilisha Hill supplies all local boreholes and rises at streams that feed into the Barrow and Slaney and go into local areas of conservation. Teachta, the Garden of Ireland cannot be allowed to become a sacrifice zone for mining companies. These same companies are responsible for huge environmental destruction in the other countries, mostly in the Global South, where they mine lithium. I want to ask if you will intervene with the Department of the Environment to withdraw the licence they've granted for lithium exploration, and if you will schedule a meeting with the Protect Moilisha Hill campaign. Just to say, I have to run to speak at another meeting, but I will be. I'll check the transcript for the supply. Thanks a lot. The Cabinet Committee on Housing last met on Thursday the 30th of May. The Committee is scheduled to meet again on Thursday the 11th of July. The Committee works to ensure a coordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All and a programme for government commitments regarding housing. At almost the midway point of the year, we're confident that the significant increase in delivery of new homes in recent years will continue throughout this year. Over 5,841 new homes were completed in the first quarter, and construction has started on more than 51,935 new homes in the 12 months to the end of May. The Development Levy Waiver and Ishka Air and Connection Charge rebate introduced last year and recently extended have, in my view, helped to fast-track greater activity and have made more housing projects viable. The Future Delivery Pipeline is also strong. Planning permission was granted for almost 38,000 new homes in the year to end quarter one of 2024. There are now 22,000 new social homes at various stages of design and construction. On state lands, building does continue apace on sites in Cork and Dublin, with many more large-scale housing developments proceeding to planning or construction later this year and in the years ahead. The affordability initiatives under Housing for All are continuing to make home ownership a reality for thousands more of our citizens. Over 4,000 individuals and couples have now availed of the first home scheme since its launch. There were over 800 approvals in quarter one of this year, which is an increase of almost 40% compared to the same three months last year. So far in 2024, there have been 3,500 claims under the Help to Buy scheme, which is an increase of 28% on the same period in the previous year. The success of these schemes is also evident in the first-time buyer mortgage data, which shows that 6,522 approvals and 4,921 drawdowns, respectfully, were recorded in the first quarter of this year. Tackling vacancy and dereliction has to remain a continued focus for us all. 8,100 applications have now been received for the vacant property refurbishment grant, with over 5,000 approved and 375 grants drawn down nationwide. To further extend its reach, the Government has recently approved an extension of the local authority home loan to support both the purchase and renovation of homes which are eligible under the grant. We are also making progress in key reforms, including the Planning and Development Bill, which completed report stage on the 12th of June and is due to commence in the Shannon on the 27th of June. The bill, once enacted, will enable house building at scale and the development of critical infrastructure at pace. The draft first revision of the National Planning Framework, which will be published for public consultation shortly, and will be accompanied by the completed peer review research by the ESRI on structural housing demand. Work is already ongoing to translate this demand into revised housing for all targets, including tenure-specific breakdowns from 2025 onwards. These targets will be published this autumn, and the annual update to housing for all will be focused on scaling up delivery to achieve those revised targets. It will also consider a number of the recent recommendations from the report of the Housing Commission. That report has now been sent to the Housing Agency to analyse in terms of costings, timelines and prioritisation. Finally, the Housing for all quarter two progress report will be published in July.
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