Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2024
410. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new technical and administrative staff hired in the local authority planning system since February 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10317/24]
View answerMy Department is currently working on a number of measures to increase staffing levels in the local government planning sector. The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) in 2022 identified a shortfall of over 500 staff in local authority planning services. My Department is working in conjunction with the LGMA on a programme of support to provide planning authorities, on a phased basis, with the requisite level of staffing resources and expertise to efficiently and effectively perform their planning functions. In this regard, my Department wrote to planning authorities in October 2023 conveying approval to the filling of an initial 100 posts in the local authority planning service under the first tranche of the programme. Engagement is ongoing with the local government sector on the scope of further tranches.
Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible including progressing appointments that have been sanctioned by my Department as appropriate. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis. However, granular data, in terms of the detailed breakdown of the numbers and grades of staff allocated to specific work areas within local authorities is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. This information would be available from each local authority.
