asked the Minister for the Environment if it is the practice for An Bord Pleanála to withhold the name of the officer conducting a planning appeal; if so, if he will give the reason for such withholding; and if he will direct the board, in all cases when a party requests this information, to provide it.
Written Answers. - Planning Officers.
44.
In common with standard practice in Government Departments and local authorities, correspondence sent to An Bord Pleanála about planning appeals should be addressed to the secretary. The function of deciding appeals is a matter for the board and individual members of the staff are not responsible for making such decisions nor is any one officer responsible for complete processing of any planning appeal. It is not, therefore, the practice to give the names of officers who may be appointed to examine a particular aspect of an appeal. However, an officer appointed to conduct an oral hearing does identify himself to those present at the hearing. In common with Government Departments, the staff have been instructed to give their names to telephone callers or visitors so as to make it easier for them to make follow-up inquiries if they should find this necessary.
I consider the practice of the board and the staff in this regard to be reasonable and I do not propose to direct the board on the lines requested by the Deputy.