Section 2(2) of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1992 sets an objective for the board of determining every appeal or other matter within a period of four months. The Planning and Development Act, 2000 amends the statutory objective period to 18 weeks, with effect from 11 March 2002.
Statistics supplied to my Department by An Bord Pleanála indicate that in 2001, 29% of cases received during the year were determined within four months. The average time taken to dispose of cases in 2001 was 25 weeks. However, the board gives priority to appeals involving housing developments in excess of 30 units and the percentage of such cases not decided within four months was 44% as at end 2001. The primary cause for the high percentage not determined within four months was the major increase in the number of appeals coming before the board in recent years. The number of cases received by the board in 2001 was 5,219; 4,998 cases were disposed of by the board in the year. This compares with 3,424 cases received and 3,237 cases disposed of, respectively, in 1996. The precautionary measures taken by the board in response to the foot and mouth outbreak, which restricted site inspections was also a factor in 2001.
Details of the measures being pursued by my Department and the board to enable the board to process appeals more expeditiously are set out in detail in the reply to Question No. 4 of 6 December 2001. In summary, during my term as Minister, board membership has been doubled from six in 1998 to 12 currently, the authorised staff complement stands at 138, an increase of over 50, 79 planners have been engaged on a fee per case basis to provide reports on the smaller type of appeals, seven consultancy firms have been engaged to provide reports on the larger cases and a panel of consultants have been set up to hold hearings in relation to motorway schemes, CPOs and other procedures devolved to the board under the Planning and Development Act, 2000. I anticipate that all of these measures will enable the board to eliminate the backlog of appeal cases by mid 2002 as well as to discharge effectively its new functions in relation to major infrastructural development.
