Vol. 550 No. 1
13 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his plans to increase the resources of An Bord Pleanála to ensure that hearings involving major retail outlets (details supplied) are dealt with in an expeditious manner. [4131/02]
37 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on whether delays within the planning system at local level and within An Bord Pleanála are inhibiting job creation; his further views on whether this is due to inadequate resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3314/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 37 together.
There has been a major increase in the number of planning appeals coming before An Bord Pleanála in recent years. The board received 5,219 and disposed of 4,998 cases in 2001. This compares with 3,424 cases received and 3,237 cases disposed of in 1996. The board accords priority to cases involving development with significant employment generating potential.
My Department and the board have been addressing on an ongoing basis a range of measures to enable the board to process appeals more expeditiously and to discharge the new functions transferred to the board by the Planning and Development Act, 2000. As a result, significant additional staffing and financial resources have been allocated to the board. In summary, during my term as Minister, board membership has been doubled from six to 12, the authorised staff complement stands at 138, an increase of over 50, 79 planners have been engaged – mostly from abroad – on a fee per case basis to provide reports on the smaller types of appeals, seven consultancy firms have been engaged to provide reports on the larger cases and a panel of consultants has been set up to hold hearings in relation to motorway schemes, CPOs and other procedures devolved to the board under the Planning and Development Act, 2000. I anticipate that all of these measures will enable the board to eliminate the backlog of appeal cases by mid 2002.
I have also been concerned to ensure adequate staffing levels for local authority planning departments, who have already been improving their productivity to deal with a large increase in applications for planning permission. I have approved numerous requests from planning authorities for sanction for additional planning posts, both professional planners and administrative staff. Staffing of local authority planning departments has almost doubled over the last four years from 660 in June 1998 to 1,284 in October 2001, involving significant recruitment of planners from abroad. I am confident therefore that the resources available to the planning system are increasing and will continue to increase over the next number of years as a significantly expanded number of graduate planners becomes available from the educational institutions.
I could not disagree with what the Minister had to say in the earlier part of his reply, but even with the huge additional resources it is still insufficient to meet current needs. Does he not agree that if there were more planners, more appeal officers and more personnel in An Bord Pleanála there would be more industrial and commercial activity? In Dungarvan we lost 1,000 jobs because of a delay of a year by An Bord Pleanála in giving a decision. Can the Minister give us hope that that situation will be redressed?
I can give the Deputy hope that any delays in an Bord Pleanála will be addressed because of the measures I outlined which I will not go back over now. A substantial number of the positions that were vacant in An Bord Pleanála have been filled. For that reason, I can say that the backlog will be cleared by the middle of this year. That indicates that, except in more complicated decisions, the board will be reaching its four month target within the first six months of this year.
Is the Minister aware of the case in Dungarvan where it took a year for an oral hearing to be heard and a decision to be made resulting in the loss of 1,000 jobs? The only planner was the same person who viewed the site and conducted the oral hearing on his own. He had no bevy of assistants. That is surely inadequate in terms of addressing the problem.
I cannot comment on a specific planning application but I am aware of what the Deputy refers to – at least the appeal aspect of it. I cannot comment because of section 30 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
