Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a specific question on An Bord Pleanála that does not relate to the figures provided about its work. Suffice to say, a commitment was given in the budget to provide further resources to An Bord Pleanála in order to meet staff increases. I wish to make a general point on the work of An Bord Pleanála. Would the Government consider putting on a statutory basis the length of time that An Bord Pleanála has to make a decision? An Bord Pleanála took 11 months to make a decision about the Athenry site but it took the council concerned an awful lot less time to reach a decision. The Government should be mindful of that when addressing this issue. An Bord Pleanála did the same when making a decision about a power plant in Edenderry, County Offaly. The length of time An Bord Pleanála takes to make decisions is having a severe impact on our ability to be in a position to meet the requirements of the economy. The Government should consider imposing a statutory time period in which decisions should be made. If there is a resourcing or staffing issues in order for that to be the case then let us address the matter and ensure we do not have a repetition of what we have seen in recent years.