Over the last five months, preliminary screening of planning applications has been carried out locally by the National Parks and Wildlife Services — NPWS — network of regional managers and their staff. Only cases where there is a prima facie case for intervention are referred to head office. Previously, planning applications, deemed to be of interest to the NPWS by the planning authorities, were sent directly to head office in the first instance whereupon they were then referred to the regional staff for preliminary assessment.
I can give the following information to the Deputy for the year ended 12 December 1996: number of planning applications received in Head Office, 467; number of planning applications objected to, 18; number of planning applications subsequently withdrawn, 6.