Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ms Buckley is a breath of fresh air. Unlike most other Secretary Generals or chief executives in that position she has not come in here having only taking up the position in January and said "oh I cannot answer that because I have only taken up the position". She has been very forthright and I thank her for that.

I have some questions on which I would like to elaborate. Ms Buckley said in the evidence she gave that the county development plan is the primary piece of planning policy. I read many of the planning decisions. The most recent one here is from Mr. Justice Holland. At paragraph 2.2.4 he says: “In my view the inspectors’ finding that the policy and objectives of the development plan do not accord with national policy, is wrong." Ms Buckley herself alluded to the fact that there are deficits within An Bord Pleanála in regard to the education as to what the hierarchy of legislation and planning is. Ms Buckley herself knows that the county development plan is the primary docuemnt when considering any planning application, and everything else is a guideline to which we must have regard. Is she happy that she now has a staff that are fully aware of that?