Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First of all, we will monitor. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to do that in a very transparent way by reporting on progress on a quarterly basis. There will be individual plans and targets set for each local authority in the country. Obviously the most pressure will be on the four Dublin local authorities, the two in Cork and those in Limerick, Galway and Waterford, but other urban centres as well. There is a housing emergency in these cities, particularly in Dublin, and it needs an appropriate response. In terms of the kind of fast-tracking mechanisms that I am talking about, we are looking at changing the Part VIII regulation to allow for Part VIII decisions to be made earlier while keeping elected representative involvement in decision making but perhaps shortening the public consultation period to allow decisions to be made. We are also looking at the tendering process, the procurement process, the contract negotiations and final sign-off between my Department and local authorities who have to work together before a project can pass through four stages before the final sign-off. We are looking at shortening that period considerably while still making sure the appropriate checks are in place.

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