Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Regarding my experience of Part 8 as a councillor and having observed what goes on, there are dozens of Part 8s in County Laois every year and there is no delay. This keeps getting flagged by the Department as if it were an issue, and by some people who are misinformed. The longest I have seen a Part 8 go on for is two months. It is a month for the normal process, then there is public consultation, etc., and the councillors make the decision. In a case where councillors stall the process, which has happened on occasions and I have been party to that, where an application is held up for a month or so to get further information, for something to be changed such as part of a road network or for some other alteration to be made, the application goes through very quickly.