Mr. Dave Walsh:

On the first issue, that of our priorities, we deal with a whole range of cases. Given the priority Government and the Oireachtas places on ensuring quick decisions on appeals in respect of strategic infrastructure or strategic housing developments, we expedite them as best we can. We prioritise such appeals and we have put extra resources into our strategic housing division to ensure we meet the 16-week deadline. Of the 91 such cases we have decided on since January 2018, every single decision was made within the 16 weeks. That has been a challenge, but we have met the deadline. Similarly, insofar as is possible, we ensure that we have capacity to deal with applications relating to large infrastructure projects such as roads, energy projects, or major industrial developments. That may have a knock-on implication for lower-level categories.

In addition to normal planning appeals, we deal with building control, referrals, and vacant site levies. Through the management team and the board, the organisation has to assess how to best use our resources and how to prioritise, particularly in respect of the older cases. We took a conscious decision to focus on the applications which had been in the system the longest. That had an impact early in 2019. We have now cleared the majority of those cases and we hope to get back. Referrals are an important element of our work, but they can be more complex and can involve difficult questions of law.

They are more about deciding whether something needs permission rather than whether we have a file or appeal before us. In the context of the Deputy's final question, on target dates, there is nothing more frustrating than having uncertainty around when one might get a decision. In the past 12 months, where we have had to provide an extension and inform all applicants and anyone who is observing, we have given realistic dates and, in the vast majority of cases, met them. That has made a difference to the feedback from consumers and customers.