Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the update. I appreciate that the Minister has not seen the report from Remy Farrell SC. I am glad to hear a commitment to transparency when the report is produced and provided to the Minister. However, this is not just about transparency, but also the ability of all on the Opposition and Government sides to be able to scrutinise the findings in any report in a timely manner.

In recent months we have seen a drip feed of very serious allegations. The terms of reference provided to Remy Farrell SC on 12 May set out a series of very serious allegations, including one concerning a property in my constituency. In that context, when we are in the midst of a housing disaster, and have been told by our President that there have been failures over successive years to deliver on housing, we do not want there to be any undermining of public confidence in such a key entity in our planning and construction system. That is the real concern, namely, that we let things slide and do not have an opportunity to debate issues in An Bord Pleanála over the coming weeks.

See this speech in context