Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Our Department is developing a ministerial action plan on planning resources which, to the Deputy's point, responds to the capacity challenges in the planning sector. A steering group led by the Department has been established. It will co-ordinate and provide oversight to the action plan. As we said, it will comprise representatives from the local government sector, the Office of the Planning Regulator, the Department of further and higher education, a construction and green skills unit, and the third level sector. It is important that the steering committee is in place. There will be a series of meetings to address the individual and grouped actions as part of it.

The Deputy asked about the Office of the Planning Regulator. There are 45 fully funded and sanctioned positions to be filled. The Deputy referenced An Bord Pleanála. The number of people working on the board is higher than any previous time. This Government is determined to ensure that an coimisiún pleanála will work. Some 265 people, including board members, are now working there.

We hope to enable sanctioned staffing levels to increase to more than 300 people, and 15 decision-making board members will be maintained. We have increased funding. The Exchequer allocation was €33.9 million for 2024, which is an increase of €6.5 million, which includes €1.5 million in capital allocation and, therefore, we really want to ensure that we have speedy decision-making within An Bord Pleanála. We are also allocating the necessary resources in that regard.