I join the Ceann Comhairle, the Tánaiste and others in their expressions of condolence to the family of the late Brendan Daly, who represented Clare in this House for a long time and was also a Member of the Upper House. Among his many attributes, he was a man of great charm. Everybody who met him would agree on that, and that he was a man of many attributes.

I wish to return to the issue of the hardship caused to families throughout the country by delays in An Bord Pleanála. As the Tánaiste is aware, interest rates are rising. As I am sure he is equally aware, interest rates are set at the time at which they are drawn down. Delays in An Bord Pleanála have a real impact on many families, including those seeking to buy a house as part of a development, but also the many families looking to build a one-off house that has been referred to An Bord Pleanála. Obviously, people have a right to refer matters to An Bord Pleanála but there needs to be speedy decisions. The Government has no control over rising interest rates but it does have a degree of control over An Bord Pleanála and, in particular, resourcing it and ensuring it provides decisions in a speedy manner. I do not know whether this hardship is universal throughout the country or if it is worse in some parts of the country than in others. What will the Government do to ensure speedy decisions?

The Government has allocated exceptional resources to increase staffing at An Bord Pleanála. Recruitment is under way and, in fact, quite a number of people have been recruited. The challenge will be to recruit a sufficient number of specialists in different areas into An Bord Pleanála. As the Deputy is aware, an interim board was put in place, with Oonagh Buckley appointed as chairperson, and there has been a significant increase in planning permissions granted. There has been a 38% increase since the beginning of the year over a comparable period prior to that. Progress is being made but there are still too many backlogs. The backlog has to be cleared and, ultimately, we have to get into a position where timelines are observed. The new planning Bill will be key to that.