Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 4 Oct 2001

Vol. 541 No. 3

Written Answers. - Local Authority Staff.

Enda Kenny

Ceist:

129 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the standard and experience required for persons to become planners in local authorities; the location of training courses for such planners for both towns and rural areas; the numbers of such planners employed by local authorities; the numbers employed in each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22539/01]

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

The standards for entry to positions as professional planners in the local authorities are as follows: candidates must hold a qualification in town planning recognised by the Local Appointments Commissioners and have a minimum of between three and seven years satisfactory post-graduate experience of town planning, depending on the post involved. Newly graduated planners without any professional experience are eligible for assistant planner posts in the local authorities. The assistant planner grade is also open to individuals without a qualification in town planning recognised by the Local Appointments Commissioners but who have a relevant qualification, for example, architecture, engineering, chartered surveying, environmental economics, geography, and who have at least two years' relevant experience. In general, candidates for all planner posts would be expected to possess a high standard of technical training and experience. At present, two third level institutions, University College Dublin and the Dublin Institute of Technology at Bolton Street offer third level planning courses. From September last, an increase in the capacity of the existing planning course at UCD and the introduction of new courses at both UCD and Dublin Institute of Technology will result in a trebling of the output of graduate planners from these courses to 75 per annum from next summer.

A variety of other measures has also been taken to maximise the supply of professional planners to the planning authorities. In order, to meet the short-term demand, the employment of planners from abroad on fixed term contracts is being pursued. In this regard, my Department along with a number of local authorities and An Bord Pleanála, participated in the FÁS Jobs Ireland Campaign earlier this year in the UK and South Africa to source professional planners on a contract basis.

In the second phase of the recruitment campaign, the Local Government Management Services Board has taken the lead role. An advertisement for agencies to source construction professionals – planners, engineers, quantity surveyors, architects etc. – for contract work was lodged in the Official Journal of the European Union in June. Proposals were received from 13 agencies and are currently being evaluated.

My Department conducts surveys of the larger planning authorities, i.e. county councils and county borough corporations, on a periodic basis, to establish the level of serving staff in planning departments. Details of the staffing levels in local authority planning departments over the past three years, including information in relation to professional planners, where available, are set out in the attached table.

Staffing in planning departments of county councils and county borough corporations.

	June 1998	May 1999	Sept 1999	Dec 1999	July 2000	Oct 2000	Jan 2001	July 2001
Planners	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	306.5	301	328	346
Other Professionals	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	158.5	174.5	178	199.5
Total Professionals	315	342.5	391	402	465	475.5	506	545.5
Administrative	345.5	410.5	503.5	503.5	529	590.5	584	664
Total	660.5	753	894.5	905.5	994	1,066	1,090	1,209.5