Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That response was interesting, but it did not deal with the central point that I asked the Minister of State to address. I will repeat it, therefore, but I will also give some more context. We have now had three, if not four, High Court judgments where decisions made by An Bord Pleanála on planning applications for material alterations to the docklands SDZ have been struck down. We have also had a growing number of conflicts between local authorities and An Bord Pleanála in the context of its decisions on strategic housing developments. In fact, of the 89 SHDs that have been granted, almost half have been opposed by the planning authorities.

That is an important fact. Dublin City Council has opposed almost 25% of the 29 approved strategic housing developments, SHDs, in its jurisdiction. Almost half have been opposed by South Dublin County Council in its area. Exactly half have been opposed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The planning authorities in Fingal, Meath and Cork have taken views at strict variance with the board. Given the growing conflict between the High Court and the board and between local authorities and the board, surely this is something the Minister should be looking at now, not putting off for a year or more until the review of the Attorney General is published.

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