1659. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the budget and staff numbers of the Office of the Planning Regulator in each of the years 2019 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55954/26]

The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) was formally established in April 2019 under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act). The Act provides for the statutory functions and staffing of the OPR.

The OPR has 3 principal statutory functions provided for under Section 31P of the Act. These functions are:

• Independent assessment of all local authority and regional assembly forward planning, including the zoning decisions of local authority members in development plans;

• Conducting reviews of the organisation, systems and procedures used by any planning authority or An Coimisiún Pleanála in the performance of any of their planning functions under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended); and

• Driving national research, education and public information programmes to highlight the role and benefit of planning.

The below table shows the budget and staffing numbers for 2019 to 2026: