Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. The Bill is currently being drafted. It is a priority and the Attorney General in particular is taking an interest in it. One of the things under consideration is exactly what the Deputy has suggested, that is, that statutory timelines are set within which An Bord Pleanála must give its decisions. That is to avoid a situation where a development has been approved by a council but is then stuck with An Bord Pleanála for months on end. Tied to that, obviously, is making sure that An Bord Pleanála has the resources and staff to meet those deadlines. That is the solution we are working on and I know it is one the Deputy has proposed in the past. The legislation is only being worked on at the moment. It will take a bit of time before we can work through the proposed legislation and publish the it. That is the plan we are working on.

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