I came from the Committee of Public Accounts this morning, where we got a very thorough briefing on issues within An Bord Pleanála by its senior management. The members of senior management told us An Bord Pleanála is only processing 90 decisions per month, when it wishes to process 300. It has just €17.1 million in funding. We have a €26 billion of a surplus in tax revenues in the next two years. I am pleading with the Tánaiste to do something about the funding within An Bord Pleanála, to help it get to its desired target of 300 decisions per month, because it is holding up the construction of 65,000 homes in this country per year. The issue is purely administrative and very easily fixed. It needs both an international campaign and a very strong ground campaign to fill the vacancies within that organisation, which I know is a priority for the Government. However, I plead that more be done.

The Minister inherited a difficult and challenging situation in An Bord Pleanála. Resources have been allocated to increase staffing, to the order of 60% of an increase. The challenge when one wishes to rapidly increase human resource capacity is to recruit at the right pace and with the right quality. In the planning area, like everywhere else and every other sector, there is a considerable premium on people. Different organisations are looking for the key expertise. However, no one disagrees there has been a significant strengthening of An Bord Pleanála with regard to human capital and resource. That will continue and while I have no doubt that the leadership of An Bord Pleanála will present its case again to the Minister, I hear what the Deputy is saying. Government is absolutely full-on in this, to try to get infrastructure and develop housing and wind energy. We are conscious of the role of planning and that is why there will be a new environmental planning court established as well.