Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 9 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 5

Written Answers. - Local Authority Staff.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

98 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the proposals, if any, he has to increase the number of staff available to Fingal County Council in view of the fact that the increase in the number of planning applications being received is currently equivalent to the same number received by Dublin County Council in 1993 and in view of the fact that the number of planning inspectors and enforcement officers has remained the same in spite of this increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26523/99]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

It is the responsibility of each local authority to ensure that they have adequate staffing resources to discharge their statutory planning functions.

In April 1998, my Department wrote to planning authorities asking that they avail of the opportunity presented by planning fee increases, which were effected by new regulations at that time, to consider the possibility of employing more professional planners. My Department again wrote to local authority managers in July 1998 asking that they consider the adequacy of their professional-technical and administrative-clerical staffing in order to ensure that the planning system does not cause bottlenecks in meeting demand and delivers the best possible service to the customer.

Fingal County Council wrote to my Department in July regarding the establishment in the council of a strategic planning and development unit and requesting sanction for the creation of one permanent post of senior executive planner and two posts of executive technician. Sanction for these positions was granted to Fingal on 29 July 1999.