Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise a serious concern about the way An Bord Pleanála does its business. We have great plans for development and growth in this country, including infrastructure and roads, and private individuals have plans, whether it is to build a house or their businesses. We all would agree that they need to operate with efficacy, to see that time is of the essence and that time means money, and that we need projects deliberated upon as soon as possible.

I turn to the application currently before An Bord Pleanála which is for the replacement of Cloongullane bridge near Swinford, County Mayo. An oral hearing was heard in March 2017. Environmental issues were raised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and were dealt with by the summer of last year. After that, we waited and waited for a decision from An Bord Pleanála. The regional design office responsible for preparing the application on behalf of Mayo County Council was in touch regularly with An Bord Pleanála. I contacted it and there was no hint that there were any further issues. In fact, if there were, one would have imagined they would have been raised. In the first few days of January this year, An Bord Pleanála sought further environmental information, which required further studies relating to alluvial woodland. Most recently, I am told, there may also be an issue with freshwater pearl mussel.

Parking the environmental concerns aside, is this any way for An Bord Pleanála to do its business? Surely, it has some responsibility towards the State and towards the common good that it deals with cases, especially a critical piece of infrastructure such as the N26, a national primary road which is the most substandard section of national primary road in the country and which anyone who would travel it would not even think deserving of that categorisation. Nonetheless, An Bord Pleanála has failed to deal with this case. It is my understanding An Bord Pleanála is not understaffed at this juncture and it begs the question why it cannot see the urgent need to have this deliberated upon as soon as possible. If there are queries, let them be known to the applicant and let them be dealt with. This is no way to do business. I note we will have the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, coming before us tomorrow - at least, I hope it will be him. If not, I will be talking to him further about this. We cannot do business and achieve our plans and ambitions for growth in rural Ireland if An Bord Pleanála does not play ball.