Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There are options here in respect of the committee. The committee would be similar to committee systems that already exist for the recruitment of the chair of An Bord Pleanála. There is a Public Appointments Service, PAS, competition or a hybrid of both that involves a PAS process or a committee. We are satisfied that in respect of the Minister establishing a suitable, independent, objective and transparent procedure, the legislation is correct and that this is the correct approach. I reject entirely the claims that have been made by the Senator about the open process, about the appointment of ordinary members of the board and around the issue of experience, as we have discussed already.

Senator Moynihan raised issues around housing policy and the delivery of housing. An Bord Pleanála is one important component of our planning system. There are already checks and balances in place for the delivery of sustainable housing that is connected to public transport services in local authorities through development plan processes and applications, as well as on the role of elected members at a local level. Again, this is not a ministerial power grab. We see a significant level of robustness to address the issues that we are trying to address here.