Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

He had an extensive dossier prepared by planning officials in the Department following an internal review of complaints made from 2007 to 2009. He had a series of reports from the managers in each of the local authorities submitted in response to a formal request from the Minister using his statutory powers under the planning and development Acts. He had terms of reference for a panel of planning consultants to carry out independent reviews in the six local authorities. He had a completed tender process to select the panel of consultants and he had letters of appointment ready to be issued to the members of the panel. On the basis of the dossiers presented to him he was convinced that these matters required an independent review of planning.

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