Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

That is right. It is my turn to ask questions. How does Mr. Cussen's office issue recommendations and directions that then come from the Minister? I have been at council meetings, as many of us probably have, where the Department, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, the National Transport Authority, NTA, the chief executive or the senior planners may be advising councillors not to adopt a certain objective that has been submitted as part of a development plan process or a local area plan and councillors decide to ignore that advice and proceed to approve that and have it included in a draft plan or a plan. That plan then has to be inspected by Mr. Cussen's office, which then makes a recommendation to the Minister and the Minister may make a direction to the planning authority to correct or amend an objective that does not comply in his or her view. Could he explain that process to us? Is there scope for a councillor who does not agree with it to be able to appeal to Mr. Cussen's office to highlight that or should it be expected that the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, is so well resourced that it can take the time to view all of these plans and issue recommendations on them?