Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

As Members are aware, under the Planning and Development Acts, An Bord Pleanála is responsibleinter alia for the determination of appeals of local authority planning decisions, and for the determination of direct planning applications for strategic housing and infrastructure development. The board also has responsibility for dealing with proposals for the compulsory acquisition of land by public authorities, and with determining appeals under the Water Pollution and Building Control Acts.

The board’s income in 2021 totalled €27.4 million. Grants issued from the Vote for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and other Exchequer-sourced income, amounted to €20.4 million in 2021. Fee income of various kinds accounted for just under €7 million or 26% of the total income for the year.

Expenditure in 2021 amounted to €31.4 million. Spending on salaries and related costs amounted to €18 million, representing 57% of the board's expenditure. Expenditure on legal fees amounted to €7.7 million. The balance of expenditure of €5.8 million related to establishment and other operating expenses.

Overall, there was a deficit for the year of €3.8 million. I certified the 2021 financial statements on 22 December 2022 and issued a clear audit opinion. Without qualifying the opinion on the financial statements, I drew attention to two matters dealt with in the statement on internal control. The reporting requirement on An Bord Pleanála is that the statement should deal with the operation of the system of control both in the period of account and subsequently, up to the date of signing of the financial statements. Accordingly, the statement on the system of internal control discloses that a number of matters of serious concern about the operation of An Bord Pleanála's business had arisen in 2022. These resulted in the commissioning of a number of reviews and reports, both internally and externally. The current status of those reviews is outlined as at the signing date. The chairperson may be able to provide the committee with a further update in relation to those matters.

The statement on internal control also discloses that An Board Pleanála had made a number of statutory penalty payments to applicants, because decisions on strategic housing development, SHD, applications were not made by the board within the applicable statutory time period. The penalties paid amounted to €10,000 in 2021, and to €1.34 million in 2022.