I set up the SAC appeals advisory board to consider each landowners objections on scientific grounds to lands being included in special areas of conservation. The board makes a recommendation to me on each such objection or appeal referred to it when the matter cannot be resolved directly between Dúchas and the landowner.
I am advised by the board that, at the outset of the appeals process, it issues to the appellant a list of consultants who have agreed to have their names put on a panel for this specific purpose. The appellant is advised that he-she may choose from that list of experts or, if they so wish, engage the services of a suitably qualified person whose name is not on the list. A guideline laid down in the latter situation is that the chosen expert is asked to contact the secretary to the board. This is to ensure that an expert, who has not previously carried out this work on behalf of an appellant, is suitably qualified, fully understands the brief and is in possession of the required grounding documents.
Before the actual work is commissioned neither the board nor anyone else commits any appellant to using a particular consultant. On the contrary, every effort is made to ensure that the appellant is happy with the expert who is undertaking the case on his-her behalf.
The board is aware that on a few occasions consultants have disqualified themselves from cases in which they had a previous involvement. This involvement may have been at the initial designation stage, working for Dúchas, or at planning-environmental impact statement stage working for the appellant.