Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 3 Jul 2001

Vol. 540 No. 1

Written Answers. - Planning System.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

73 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps he is taking arising from the recent report of the Ombudsman which found that the administration of the planning system was in a state of collapse; if, in view of the Ombudsman's findings, he will consider the establishment of a planning inspectorate to enforce planning regulations and conditions and investigate complaints from the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19715/01]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

As the recent annual report by the Ombudsman acknowledges, there has been a huge increase in planning applications in the past few years in line with the growth in the economy. Planning authorities have responded to this increase by improving their productivity enormously. However, increasing demands on planning departments has stretched resources and, as the report highlighted, has led to difficulties, in particular in relation to planning enforcement.

I am strongly of the view that a culture of enforcement is critical to ensure that the planning control system works properly and for the benefit of the whole community. I therefore brought forward simplified and strengthened provisions on enforcement in the Planning and Development Act, 2000. These changes should address some of the concerns of the Ombudsman, in particular the requirement on local authorities to keep complainants updated as enforcement actions proceed.

The Planning and Development Act, 2000, was enacted on 28 August 2000. Due to the scale and complexity of the Act and the need to make regulations to give full effect to its provisions, it is necessary to commence the Act in stages. To date, I have made three commencement orders bringing into force a number of Parts of the Act. The commencement orders for the development control and enforcement provisions of the Act will be made in tandem with the necessary regulations, some of which will require the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas. Work on these regulations is now at an advanced stage and a draft will be submitted to the Oireachtas shortly.

I am also acutely aware of the need to ensure adequate staffing of local authority planning departments. My Department has been taking a variety of measures to address this issue. I have approved numerous requests from planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála for sanction for additional planning posts, both professional planners and administrative staff, although I am aware that some authorities have experienced difficulties in recruiting to fill these additional posts. Nevertheless, staffing levels are increasing.

A survey by my Department of the larger local authority planning departments, that is, county councils and county borough corporations, carried out in January 2001 found that the overall level of serving staff, both administrative and professional, had increased to 1,090, which compared with a figure of 1,066 in October 2000, 994 in July 2000 and 895 in September 1999. I have also liaised with the Minister for Education and Science and the third level education sector on ways of producing more planners through the education system. In the interim, to meet the short-term demand, the employment of planners from abroad on fixed term contracts is being pursued.

The Ombudsman's report acknowledged that these changes were being made and stated his intention to monitor the area closely over the coming year. In light of this and because I believe enforcement is best carried out at local level, I do not propose to establish a national planning inspectorate to deal with enforcement.