An Bord Pleanála delays
Deputy Ó Cuív criticises the State for missing deadlines on appeals and says An Bord Pleanála is failing ordinary citizens. After repeated time warnings, the Minister agrees there is a serious problem and says extra staff, expertise and a review of the Planning and Development Act are needed.
When people are dealing with the State, lodging appeals, tax clearance or whatever, the State lays down very strict deadlines. If people do not comply with these deadlines their applications are rejected or, in the case of a late tax return, a financial penalty is applied.
However, when the State is dealing with the citizens, it often totally ignores their fundamental right to get things in time. In this regard, I could mention citizenship applications, passport applications, forestry licence applications and so on, but today I want to concentrate on a slightly different issue, namely, the inordinate delay with planning applications. There is a statutory objective of 18 weeks laid down for a decision. Applications for leave to-----
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Forty-two percent of appeals are not dealt with within the 18 weeks, and 532 applications have been on hand for over 18 weeks. When will the Government-----
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-----deal with this scandal and introduce legislation to force An Bord Pleanála to give a service to the ordinary, plain people of this country?
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The Deputy is absolutely right: there is a real problem. There are two key immediate solutions that the Government has to provide. I understand the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has, with the agreement of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, committed to additional staff for An Bord Pleanála. We need planning, ecological and science-based expertise, in addition to expertise in a range of other areas. The board needs additional resources; that is absolutely clear to me.
The Attorney General is conducting a review of the Planning and Development Act 2000 that will codify and modernise it. The Act has been amended so many times and is so complex, layered and difficult to interpret that it, too, is not helping in making fast planning decisions. The work is to be concluded by the end of this year. It is one of the most important projects or tasks taken on by the Government. I have 100% confidence in the ability of the Attorney General and the special team he has brought together to deliver that. That will be key.