Vol. 567 No. 1
406 Mr. Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the person on whose authority a group (details supplied) was employed to set up the Irish planning policy panel under a person (details supplied) to work on formulating rural settlement policies here and to produce a discussion document, The New Rural-Urban Relationship, A Framework for Discussion, dated July 2002; and the cost implications to the taxpayer. [13622/03]
407 Mr. Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when the responsibility for formulating the rural settlement policies in Ireland was handed over to the Royal Town Planning Institute of London; if there is a reciprocal arrangement in place whereby the Irish Planning Institute has a role in formulating rural settlement policies in England; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13623/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 406 and 407 together.
I understand that the document referred to was prepared by the Royal Town Planning Institute's Irish planning policy panel as a discussion document seeking views on key strategic issues for rural planning in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. My Department did not have any role in sponsoring or financing the document's preparation or publication. Rural settlement policies in Ireland are a matter for the Government, and for regional and local authorities, with overall Government policy in this regard having been set out in the national spatial strategy, which was published on 28 November 2002.
