Mr. Dave Walsh:

Section 144 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 enables the board to set fees for various case types of planning, but with the approval of the Minister at the time. In the context of fees the Deputy has researched on our website, there are general fees that date back to 2011 and there is the setting of new fees in respect of new functions that we have created or that have been imposed on us, such as the vacant site levy and SHDs. Every three years the board is required to undertake a review of fees in the context of the consumer price index. In addition, strategically on a periodic basis, the board reviews the entire fee structure and considers whether proposed recommendations to be made to the Minister should be considered. The last time that was done was in October 2020 and we are currently engaging with the Department and the Minister on our proposed amendments.