Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ms Buckley stated a process is ongoing to appoint a permanent chairperson and permanent members and that this could take up to a year. She mentioned she is bringing in new members to fill the gap. My worry is the time it takes. I realise Ms Buckley has asked people to be understanding but there are those who have now been waiting for a substantial amount of time and who say they are losing faith in the whole system and are frustrated. I am aware that Ms Buckley is turning over every stone she can to try to address the backlog but I hope she is getting all the resources possible. If not, it needs to be communicated. Planning is vital considering the housing crisis we are in the middle of. Sometimes An Bord Pleanála has been subject to some really nasty criticism. When people see what is happening now, they say it must be true, but it might not be. There are other issues that we will discuss at another time – do not get me wrong – but everything has to be done to speed up the process and clear up the backlog.