Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Enforcement proceedings can be onerous on a local authority. They are complex. I am unsure about where decisions are made on which cases to prioritise and how to pursue them. A rolling register of enforcement cases that had gone beyond six weeks since issuing the warning letters and the investigations that followed would help to improve enforcement. We would all agree that enforcement could do with some improvement.

I would be interested in the witnesses' opinions on my next point. Strategic infrastructure development, SID, applications go to the board. Would there be any benefit in them going to local authorities instead or in giving an applicant the choice between an application going to the board or to a local authority? Our local authorities are close to meeting their statutory decision timelines whereas the board is having difficulty in that regard.