Ms Oonagh Buckley:

I echo Mr. Cussen's comments. One of the first issues that was flagged to me after I agreed to take on this role was the pending shortage of planning capacity as regards human beings to carry out the role of planner as well as those with other skill sets such as archeologists, ecologists and marine planners. I am concerned about recruitment and the limited number of people available to do the work for the new marine functions because there will also be conflicted people across the country. We will almost certainly have to supplement our resources by drawing from resources abroad to get people who do not have conflicts and do have the necessary experience. That will involve hiring people on a fee-per-case basis. We will need to manage the conflicts.

The other issue I am conscious of is that local authorities are suffering. An Bord Pleanála does not tend to recruit straight out of university. We tend to recruit from the local authorities or the private sector where people already have five, seven or ten years' experience. We take them, assuming people come and join us. Given recent events they might decide to hold off for a while and see how things play out, although I hope An Bord Pleanála will continue to be able to recruit people who are experienced and want to come to An Bord Pleanála as part of their career path. That is a critical part. I do not want to underplay the resource issue that faces An Bord Pleanála and the local authorities, not least because The Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, has been poaching some talent from us. I will not name any names. The committee must be mindful of that. An Bord Pleanála will need to play a role over the next few years in trying to enhance the attractiveness of this career path for both recent graduates and those entering university for the first time. When we have got through our current firefighting we will come back to that and work with the OPR and local authorities.