Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The strategic housing development legislation actually slowed things down in that it resulted in people taking judicial reviews. Things can be done that are counterproductive, and I will point that one out.

Just this week, the Committee of Public Accounts received a reply from the Minister's Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that told us the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments has not yet fully concluded but has come to a total of €143 million to date. We cannot go backwards in the context of political appointments. The independence of An Bord Pleanála absolutely must be sacrosanct. The idea the Minister can decide who to pick as members of An Bord Pleanála is political interference. It will not restore the credibility of An Bord Pleanála. It will do the reverse. When it comes to planning, I put it to the Minister that the public have a memory of Fianna Fáil and planning. What is happening today with this decision is retrograde, and particularly around political appointments. It is not acceptable.

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