Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Connolly for her question. The interdepartmental group, comprising officials from my Department, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and Údarás na Gaeltachta, is in place to support and accelerate the ongoing work on planning guidelines in Gaeltacht areas. A key aim of the interdepartmental group is to ensure that procedures and systems will be tailored as appropriate to facilitate an effective and consistent approach by all relevant local authorities to managing planning-related issues in our Gaeltacht areas. The interdepartmental group has been examining how current practices relating to the application of these provisions can be strengthened in the overall interests of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht and of proper planning and sustainable development, underpinned by a policy currently being finalised by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. This policy is critical and central to the development of section 28 guidelines for planning in Gaeltacht areas, which my Department is finalising for review. These guidelines will be subject to screening requirements, with a strategic environmental assessment and screening for appropriate assessment. On that basis, it is anticipated that draft guidelines will be available for public consultation early in 2023.

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