Ms Maria Graham:

I will comment on enforcement in a moment. I understand what the Chairman is saying on the point around the SPPRs and development plans. Part of what we discussed last week on the development plan is the process of getting more into the development plan. I mentioned on that occasion that I believe there is a bit of friction in the system now because the development plans have not all been through the OPR process, which seeks to determine whether they are aligned with national policy. In some ways, the work we are trying to do is a process of clarifying what is national policy and what is mandatory and operational. As the development plans have gone through that process, there should be less reason to shift from them, unless policy has shifted.

For example, when An Bord Pleanála is looking at something, it may be looking at a development plan that has not been looked at from the perspective of compliance with the national planning framework. There might be that misalignment but once we have gone through the first cycle of development plans, that alignment should be in place. There should be less material contravention of a development plan then and the only issue should then be if a new guidance has come out, if it is mandatory or operational; and if it has an impact. Those distinctions between the national, regional and local levels are the kind of issues we need to clarify as part of this review.