Vol. 555 No. 5
382 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has communicated with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on the causes of overturns of original planning decisions following the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. [19013/02]
The recent Value for Money Report on Planning Appeals by the Comptroller and Auditor General examined the management of the appeals system, the factors impacting on its effectiveness and measures to improve the quality control of the system. The report noted that rates of appeals against decisions of individual planning authorities vary considerably and that there is considerable variation between individual planning authorities in the rate of overturn of decisions on appeal. The report states that identifying and investigating such variations between planning authorities could point to areas where action might be taken by my Department to ensure consistency of planning authority decision-making. The report has been brought to the attention of the planning authorities and my Department will discuss the issues further with the relevant sub-committee of the City and County Manager's Association, with whom regular meetings are held, to address the concerns outlined in it.
