Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 May 2024
287. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ensure the report conducted by a person (details supplied) into allegations of malpractice and conflicts of interest at An Bord Pleanála is made public as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20676/24]
View answerAn Bord Pleanála (ABP) is a quasi-judicial body which carries out its statutory functions independently of me as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
ABP appointed an external reviewer, Ms. Lorna Lynch, Senior Counsel, to carry out a scoping investigation into certain matters.
An Bord Pleanála has advised that, in conducting this scoping investigation, Ms. Lynch will be provided with the material which was gathered and collated by members of the senior management team who were involved in the preparation of the Internal An Bord Pleanála Report in 2022. The Senior Counsel has also been asked to consider the relevant Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) recommendations, following the completed and published OPR reviews of An Bord Pleanála.
Ms. Lynch's scoping investigation and report is entirely a matter for An Bord Pleanála who initiated this exercise. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for An Bord Pleanála in this regard is Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie.
