Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 42:

In page 53, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following:

"Exemption from fees for submissions and observations by councillors on planning applications

24.Section 246 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 is amended by inserting the following new subsection after subsection (1):"(1A) Regulations under subsection (1) shall not apply to the making of a submission or observation to a planning authority, respecting an application for permission referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection, where the person by whom the submission or observation is made is an elected member of the planning authority concerned.".".

This is an important recognition of local councillors. Local councillors up and down the country up until recently have had to pay to make an observation on a planning application and then there was a question mark over whether, if they had not paid regarding a planning observation, they could then go on to An Bord Pleanála with a submission.

The day-to-day work of local councillors, as many would be aware, is representing residence groups regarding major planning applications. Sometimes those observations may be in support of a planning application. For the sake of transparency, to ask councillors who are on a very low salary to make a payment to make an observation on a planning permission is unacceptable in this day and age. An Taisce, which is a prescribed organisation, can make a submission on a planning matter up and down the country without having to pay and yet we see councillors, practically on a voluntary basis, given their salaries, having to make a payment to do so in their local authority. I ask the Minister of State to accept the two amendments. Both amendments have the same purpose, namely, to try to reduce the financial criteria for councillors.

The Minister of State may state that the sum is quite low but if one is from a major urban area, whether that is Cork, Dublin or Limerick, there may not only be many planning applications but many applications on the same site. I have seen developments with up to seven live planning applications, all running at the same time. If a councillor wanted to make an observation on all seven, that would cost €140.

The Minister of State will respond by stating he is sympathetic towards the amendment but this is not the Bill to do it in. If so, I would ask him to give a commitment to a date and time at which that will be removed because it is unfair to ask councillors on a miserable salary to make that financial commitment to submit an observation on a large-scale development. If the Minister of State is to so respond, he should be short and sweet. If he will not allow it and support it as part of this Bill, I will withdraw it and resubmit it on Report Stage if the Minister of State will give me a timeframe for when he will introduce regulation to allow councillors make an observation free of charge.