Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 May 2000

Vol. 519 No. 7

Written Answers. - Local Authority Staffing.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

95 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the total number of staff employed in the planning departments of local authorities; the total number of vacancies, especially in regard to qualified planners; the steps being taken to fill these positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14687/00]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey):

It is the responsibility of the management of each local authority to ensure that they have adequate staffing resources to discharge their statutory planning functions. The most recent survey of overall staffing levels in local authority planning departments, carried out by my Department, showed that the overall level of serving staff, both administrative and professional, in county councils and county borough corporations, had increased to 894.5 in September, 1999 compared with 753 in May, 1999 and 660.5 in June, 1998. The September 1999 figure comprised 391 professional staff, planners and others and 503.5 administrative staff.

While my Department does not compile on a systematic basis information on the number of vacancies in planning, or any other type of posts in the local authorities, a survey relating solely to professional planners carried out by my Department in March 2000 found that at that time there were 309 authorised permanent professional planner posts and 41 authorised temporary planner posts, a total of 350 posts for professional planners. Planning authorities reported that of the 350 posts referred to above, 100 permanent posts and seven temporary posts were vacant at that time. This would have arisen partly because of the large number of additional posts which have been sanctioned by my Department in response to requests from the planning authorities following my invitation to planning authorities to review the adequacy of their planning staff levels. During 1999, my Department sanctioned an additional 72 posts for professional planners, and a further 27 posts for professional planners have been approved to date in 2000. Many of the authorities surveyed reported diffi culties in recruiting professional planners. A significant limiting factor was the fact that there is a limited pool of professional planners available in the country and the local authorities must compete with the private sector consultancies. Several planning authorities have sought to address this problem by advertising vacancies in professional journals abroad and on the Internet.

Ireland's only planning school is in University College Dublin and I have written to the President of UCD indicating that the expansion of the economy has made for a greatly increased workload on the planning system and there is evidence of a shortfall in the number of professional planners to meet present requirements. I outlined in that letter that the Planning and Development Bill and future EU requirements will confer further functions and place new obligations on planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála. I indicated that these developments will call for increased professional planning resources in this country and any increase in the number of planners qualifying would be welcomed.

My Department has also been in contact with the School of Environmental Planning and Management at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street, in relation to its plans to establish a part-time Masters programme in spatial planning and the up grading of the existing diploma in environmental resources management to a four-year honours degree with specialisms in spatial planning and environmental management. It is understood that the Dublin Institute of Technology plans to commence these courses in the next academic year. My Department has expressed its strong support for these initiatives. I have also been in contact with the Minister for Education and Science seeking his support in increasing the output of professional planners by the higher education sector.