We are in the middle of a housing crisis, one of the Government's making, it has to be said. Recently, 681 homes were denied planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in Wicklow as a result of the failure of the planning SPC of Wicklow County Council to renew local area plans that expired in 2019. An Bord Pleanála decided there was no statutory zoning in place due to the outdated nature of these local area plans. It is absolutely unacceptable that the planning SPC in Wicklow County Council, which is controlled by Fine Gael councillors, is content to sit on its hands and allow local area plans to be expired for five years. What actions is the Government taking to ensure the failures of the planning SPC in Wicklow County Council will not result in more refusals by An Bord Pleanála of permission for badly needed houses in the council area?

I thank the Deputy. I do not agree with his initial contention. The Government has prioritised the reform of the planning process through the new planning Bill, which I hope will be a planning Act in the coming weeks. It will address many of the overlapping complexities that exist in our planning law. To be very frank with the Deputy, I am not familiar with the specific case he has highlighted concerning the Wicklow County Council SPC. However, I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to revert to him.