Written Answers. - Staff Shortages.
Charles Flanagan
Ceist:
12
Mr. Flanagan
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
his views on whether the total of 350 authorised planning posts throughout local authorities to be sufficient in the context of private sector residential and commercial development; the steps he proposes to take to alleviate the crisis in planning offices throughout the country in view of the fact that there are 107 vacancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26474/00]
Liz McManus
Ceist:
34
Ms McManus
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
the steps that are being taken to address the shortage of planning staff in local authorities having regard to the impact of the shortage on planning procedures and house building programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[29443/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 34 together.
My Department does not compile, on a systematic basis, information on the numbers of vacancies for professional planners or any other types of posts in the local authorities. The most recent survey of the larger local authority planning departments, such as county councils and county borough corporations, carried out by my Department on 16 October 2000 found that there were 404 authorised posts for professional planners, 103 of which were vacant at that time. The 301 serving professional planners in October represents an increase of 58 on the position in March last when there was 350 authorised posts and 107 vacancies.
It is the responsibility of the management of each local authority to ensure that they have adequate staffing resources to discharge their statutory planning functions. My Department has written to planning authorities on a number of occasions 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. While my Department has approved requests from planning authorities for sanction for additional professional planner posts, I am aware that some authorities have experienced difficulties in recruiting to fill these additional posts. However, as I already indicated, an additional 58 planners were employed by the local authorities between March and October this year.
Measures have been taken to increase the capacity of the planning system and the number of planners. Following the publication of Action on Housing in June this year I made the Local Government (Planning and Development) Regulations, 2000, which increased the size of exempted domestic extensions from 23 square metres to 40 square metres. This was designed to remove about 30% of planning applications for such extensions from the planning system in major urban areas, to allow planners to concentrate on more complex applications and forward planning issues. I have been in contact with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, and the third level education sector with a view to identifying ways of producing more planners through the education system. As a result, from September this year new and expanded courses in University College Dublin and Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street, will treble the output of graduate planners in two years' time to approximately 75 planners graduating per annum. Further additional courses are also under consideration.
In the interim, to meet the short-term demand, the possibility of employing planners from abroad on fixed term contracts is being examined. In this regard, my Department is working with FÁS to secure planners from abroad through the FÁS Jobs Ireland campaign. To this end, my Department, the local authorities and An Bord Pleanála were in attendance at the FÁS jobs fair in London on 9 and 10 December which I officially opened. As well as jobs fairs in other EU member states and locations such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the campaign also involves the use of the FÁS Jobs Ireland website and other means to obtain planners from abroad. My Department will also pursue with the local authorities and the Local Government Computer Services Board the use of information technology to streamline planning procedures.
