Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The An Bord Pleanála fast track process has had a number of positive decisions so far. We have had some negative decisions as well.

It is almost a year since I signed the order so we wish to carry out a soft review of how it has worked to date and to see if changes might be necessary. One would have expected that some of the reasons for the decisions that have emerged to date would have been clarified in the pre-consultation period, but they were not. We need to take a look at exactly what is going on there.

To my knowledge, water infrastructure has not been a delaying factor or a cause for rejection in any of those cases. There was some media reporting last month about one significant property owner or house builder complaining to a different Department about a lack of water infrastructure and about that impeding his developments, but that turned out not to be the case in what was happening with some of his properties. We need to make sure, and it is one of the benefits of water and housing being under the same Department, that we can progress our housing plans in tandem with other key infrastructure that has to be put in place. That is what we do. We must ensure that infrastructure such as roads, lighting or water is not standing in the way of us being able to build houses because that is something we have to do.

With regard to the commercial rates, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, is working on a non-domestic review and this programme will take place over the next 18 to 24 months. There will be a great deal of public consultation on this. Public consultation is important to ensure that as we progress this move on rates there is full understanding of what needs to be achieved and full buy-in from the people who are paying the rates. This is not something on which we are going to come to a conclusion in the near future. I wish to make sure that there is significant public consultation in advance of any new changes coming down the line. Of course, we will also be guided by what the CRU intends to do.