Planning reform and An Bord Pleanála
Deputy Troy asked when planning reform legislation and the updated rural housing policy would be completed, citing delays at An Bord Pleanála. The Minister said board membership had been restored, the consolidated planning Bill had finished pre-legislative scrutiny, and further work was needed on the system.
We all acknowledge that housing is the biggest challenge facing the Government at the moment. I acknowledge the energy and vigour the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has brought to this challenge, the priority the Government has given it and the resources that have been allocated. One area where there are bottlenecks is when applications are referred to An Bord Pleanála. Priority legislation is in train to reform our planning laws. When will that legislation be complete? When will the Government publish the updated rural housing policy? While we wait for this reforming legislation to be enacted, will the Minister consider amending the existing planning laws to put a time-specific requirement on An Bord Pleanála to determine planning applications? We are all well aware of planning applications that are kicked out time and time again-----
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-----but if a time was specified for when decisions would be made it would release a lot of properties onto the market.
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I thank Deputy Troy for his comments and his question, and indeed his support for the delivery of Government housing policy. First, in relation to An Bord Pleanála, we now have 15 board members in place. It was as low as five last year. That is the highest number of board members that we have ever had. That was permitted in the legislation that we brought forward late last year.
The consolidated planning and development Bill, which is the reform of the planning system that would bring in those statutory timelines, has just concluded pre-legislative scrutiny. We received the formal report from the committee the week before last, and that is being considered now. We will work through that with a view to moving forward to publish the Bill. It will take to the end of this year to get the Bill passed. It is the third biggest piece of legislation ever published in the State.
We already have made changes under the Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Act, which brings planning back to local authorities. There are statutory deadlines and timeframes in it. That process has worked really well.
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There is no question that we need to do more work with the board and our planning system.