Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a few other bits to get through. It is important for the public to look at this. I refer to the second appendix, detailing planning appeals received and decided by local authorities. Everybody here is familiar with some local authority. The information gives, for each local authority, the number of decisions made, the percentage of planning authority decisions confirmed, the percentage of planning authority decisions granted with conditions changed or added, and the percentage of planning authority decisions reversed. I put my hands up as I will refer to Laois County Council, which had only 8% of the decisions coming before the board reversed. That is the best record. Kerry and Meath had 41% of the decisions rejected, Sligo had 38% of decisions rejected, Waterford city and county had 37% of decisions rejected, and Galway had 36% of decisions rejected.

Some planning authorities seem to be slightly more aligned to the board's thinking than other local authority planning offices. Dublin is a little below average as well. The witnesses get the point. There must be a history of local authorities that have a significant number of decisions rejected year in and year out. Other authorities tend to be more closely aligned to the board's thinking as it tends to support more of their decisions. Perhaps the Department has a role in this. Has there been an examination of these figures? Has the County and City Management Association been involved? Should there be uniformity? It is clear that the board is the one national body that makes consistent decisions, regardless of the origins of an application. It is clear that some local authorities get it and are fairly closely aligned but several others are operating away, probably hoping that cases do not go before the board.

If 41% of the decisions that come to the board are overturned, I worry about all those that would have been granted if they had come to it. I accept that the board states it is a matter for the regulator but does it understand the concern I raise?