Michael Ring
Question:85 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has satisfied himself that An Bord Pleanála has the resources necessary to fulfil its functions. [8653/03]
Other Questions. - Departmental Funding.
I am satisfied that An Bord Pleanála has the necessary resources to fulfil its functions.
My Department and the board have been addressing on an ongoing basis a range of measures to enable the board to process appeals more expeditiously and to discharge the new functions transferred to the board in accordance with the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000. As a result, significant additional staffing and financial resources have been allocated to the board. In July 2000, the board was given approval for an increase of 29 additional staff – nine professional and 20 administrative staff. An additional four administrative staff were approved in July 2001, bringing the authorised staff complement, excluding board members, to 138. This is an increase of 53 since July 1997.
The board has now advised my Department that the backlog of appeals, which had previously built up, has been eliminated. At 31 December 2002 the total number of cases on hand had been reduced to 1,372, compared to a peak of 2,700 in 2001. This has been further reduced to 1,308 at the end of February 2003. With the elimination of the backlog, the workload in An Bord Pleanála is now for the first time in over five years at a level consistent with the board's strategic target of giving decisions within 18 weeks in 90% of cases. I anticipate that the great majority of recent and future appeals will be determined within that timeframe.
Does the Minister propose to introduce legislation to force An Bord Pleanála, while retaining its independence, to explain some of its strange decisions? I refer to a recent decision in County Meath when An Bord Pleanála overruled an inspector's report.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle
Deputy, the question is about resources.
Will the Minister introduce an element of accountability into the situation? How many cases being dealt with by the board exceed the 18 week period?
Less than 10%.
What about the other question?
I will not comment on a particular planning case because I am specifically precluded from doing so. We have the most open and transparent planning system, almost in the entire world. There is nothing wrong with the access people have to appeal at all levels of the planning process. Our system is, perhaps, too open.
How can the Minister say the backlog has been eliminated if 1,372 planning applications were awaiting decision and that was reduced to 1,308? That is only a reduction of 64 in one year.
It has come down from 2,700.
It says 1,372.
That is the normal yearly figure.
What is the reason for the 10% of planning applications that are going over the 18 week period? Is there a sufficient number of personnel to deal with them? What is the maximum time allowed for a planning appeal before a decision is made on it?
Recent legislation transferred to An Bord Pleanála the functions previously held by the Minister in regard to major road projects, motorway approvals and so on. Were any staff from his Department transferred to An Bord Pleanála in connection with the transfer of those functions, and if so, how many?
How many additional staff has An Bord Pleanála been allowed to engage to deal specifically with the new functions which it has been given in regard to road and motorway approvals?
Has the Minister tried to evaluate the extent of resources and time taken up by An Bord Pleanála in dealing with objections raised by An Taisce in regard to planning applications in rural areas? This happens to such an extent that people are virtually barred from living there or building on their parents' land.
The number of cases received by the board in 2002 was 4,475. The board disposed of 5,750 cases in 2002, which is indicative of the current position.
I do not have information to hand on whether there were transfers of staff from my Department at the time the extra places were created. I will obtain the information for the Deputy and make it available to him.
In response to the issue raised by Deputy Durkan on rural planning – the national spatial strategy recognises that different situations pertain in different parts of the country. I am not implacably opposed to people living in the areas they come from, and I have made this clear in my capacity as Minister for the Environment and Local Government. That is the way it should be. I am very supportive of many of the views of my colleague, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív. However, a balance must be achieved and there must also be a balance in terms of resources. There is a dispersed population pattern in this country. We need communities and we also need to strengthen the resources of villages in terms of the services that are required. I equally want to balance the environmental issues created by some one-off houses and I believe that we have now reached a point of technology and common sense where all of those aspects can be accommodated.
I would have thought so.
The Minister did not answer my question in regard to the cause of the 10% of planning applications that are taking over 18 weeks? Is there a trend in this and what is the maximum period for which a planning application can be considered before a decision must be made by the appeals board?
To my knowledge, there is no limitation. The stated policy objective was to deal with 90% of cases within 18 weeks. To be frank, I would like to see the 18-week period reduced and, correspondingly, to see the 90% figure increase. That standard was set a few years ago and we have now achieved it. While it has taken some time, the situation must be viewed in the context of the volume and change in planning applications.
It was inevitable that a great deal of resources would be used. Many private sector companies and planners were initially brought in to assist the board but it is currently using less of those because it has got on top of things. We can always set the bar higher and it is my intention to do so.
In view of the serious potential for a conflict of interest, has the practice of using private planning consultants to examine planning appeals by An Bord Pleanála been brought to an end?
It is my understanding that this practice has been scaled down due to the reduced need for the numbers previously employed. There have been difficulties in acquiring the services of qualified planners. To my knowledge, many of the planners that came in to advise the board were from the UK as they were unavailable here. I am happy to say that we have got the backlog out of the way and this practice has been dramatically scaled down.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.