Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to tease this out with the Minister. He says he is empowering the planning authority. We need to be clear what we are talking about when referring to the planning authority, which is the executive of the local authority which is, in effect, the planning authority. We are not talking about elected members here. There is no ambiguity about this; it is the executive. It should be remembered that the executive does not always agree with the elected members and vice versa. Many elected members have challenged executives on planning decisions and put their hands deep into their pockets to do so. Members have overturned decisions, which I am not sure the Minister is very aware of. I might try to pull out some statistics to show the Minister tomorrow on a number of key applications elected members appealed to An Bord Pleanála to successfully overturn their own planning authorities. It is an unusual thing, but it has happened. I have done it myself. We have actually overturned our own planners decisions and put our money where our mouths were to appeal them.

I have confidence in the board and have no problem with it per se. This is about the executive. Can the Minister confirm that in talking about the planning authority, he is referring to a recommendation of the executive, not of the elected members? I have no difficulty once we are clear that is what the Minister is saying. It is why I have been saying there should be an additional mechanism to allow elected members to make their own submissions in their own right. There is no better person to articulate one's views than oneself. If this was going to a big debate in a planning authority with 40 members, one would never get consensus or understanding. One would not be able to make head nor tail of the minutes. I am sure the Minister is clear, but he might just state that he is talking about the executive, which is to say the officials of the authority.