Planning Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 December 2021

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

Questions (316)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

316. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the legal costs pertaining to his Department and An Bord Pleanála and their related agencies in respect of all legal services provided in all appeal and judicial review applications instituted against his Department or An Bord Pleanála by case in each of the years since January 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61741/21]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

My Department seeks, where possible, to minimise legal costs and avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's Office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in terms of the provision of legal advice and representation of the Department in Judicial Review court cases and any subsequent appeals. From the records available to me, costs of legal services for Judicial Review court cases and any subsequent appeals for the period requested, met by the Department, are set out in the table below.

Case Name	Judicial Review (JR) or Appeal	2016 €	2017 €	2018 €	2019 €	2020 €	2021 €
Sweetman v. Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Ireland and the Attorney General	JR						50,000
Diarmaid O’Cadhla v. Valuation Tribunal, Houses of the Oireachtas and Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government	JR					12,975
Sabrina Kemper v. An Bord Pleanála, Ireland and the Attorney General	JR					4,573	858
Máire Uí Mhuirnín v. Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government	JR					206,250
Sea Fibre Networks Ltd & Celtix Connect Ltd v Minister for Housing, Planning & Local Government and Rockabill Cable System	JR					221,852
O’Toole v Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Local Government and America Europe Connects 2	JR						157,904
St.Margaret’s Concerned Residents & Others v Dublin Airport Authority Hearing	JR		2,063
Friends of the Irish Environment CLG v Fingal, Dublin Airport Authority, Ireland and the Attorney General and Ryanair	JR		5,739

My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the State bodies under its aegis. These State bodies, including An Bord Pleanála, may be contacted directly by e-mail by members of the Oireachtas, as set out in the table below.

State Body	Contact E-mail Address
State Body	Contact E-mail Address
An Bord Pleanála	[e-mail]
An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum)	[e-mail]
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority	[e-mail]
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum	[e-mail]
Ervia	[e-mail]
Gas Networks Ireland	[e-mail]
Heritage Council	[e-mail]
Housing Finance Agency	[e-mail]
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency	[e-mail]
Irish Water	[e-mail]
Land Development Agency	[e-mail]
Local Government Management Agency	[e-mail]
National Oversight and Audit Commission	[e-mail]
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee	[e-mail]
Office of the Planning Regulator	[e-mail]
Ordnance Survey Ireland	[e-mail]
Property Registration Authority	[e-mail]
Pyrite Resolution Board	[e-mail]
Residential Tenancies Board	[e-mail]
Valuation Office	[e-mail]
Valuation Tribunal	[e-mail]
Water Advisory Body	[e-mail]
Waterways Ireland	[e-mail]