Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator will appreciate that much of this answer was based on the question, so I will quickly go through it.

I thank him for the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne, to update the House on the Planning and Development Act 2024 and progress on the An Bord Pleanála Plean IT project. While the Planning and Development Act was signed in October 2024 and is available electronically on the Irish Statute Book, it is not yet available as Gaeilge and in printed form. The publication of the Act is not a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, as the Senator stated. However, it is my understanding that the Act will not be available in print until such time as it is translated. Rannóg an Aistriúcháin provides translation services for the Houses of the Oireachtas and provides official translations of the Acts of the Oireachtas. The commencement of the Act is a key priority for Government and it is being commenced on a phased basis to facilitate the transition from the arrangements under the current Act to those under the next Act. I am pleased to inform the House, as the Senator alluded to, that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage published an implementation plan for the Act earlier this week.Ahead of the Act's commencement date, there will be a range of initiatives to support training and engagement to help the planning sector prepare for the phased transition. The Senator referenced the training. I expect that will happen in the normal way. I will bring the Senator's comments in that regard to the respective Ministers as well.

With regard to the An Bord Pleanála Plean-IT project, An Bord Pleanála commenced an ICT strategy in 2013. The purpose of the strategy was to address the board’s reliance on legacy systems. The Plean-IT programme was initiated in 2014 to implement this strategy. An external consulting firm was appointed following a public procurement process to carry out a feasibility study to assist in making a business case for the project. The business case was for three elements: a new case management system, CMS; geographical information systems, GIS; and a new website and portal. These three elements combined were referred to as the Plean-IT project, with the CMS retaining the name Plean-IT. The business case was approved by the Department of public expenditure, which stipulated a phased project implementation. Following a separate public procurement process, an external consultancy firm was appointed to project manage Plean-IT. It assisted with the identification of the specific requirements for the tender specification for the new system. To ensure proper governance, a steering committee was established. Approval of key milestones was required to be given by the steering committee and the board of An Bord Pleanála. The project was projected to take five years from 2014 to 2019. A further public procurement process led to an external ICT company being appointed to develop the selected CMS. Development commenced in 2016 and the CMS went live in October 2017. The GIS element of the project went live during 2017 and was integrated with the new CMS.

At the conclusion of the initial five-year period, a suite of enhancements and system improvements were introduced. This was phase II of the project. Additional external expertise was publicly procured in 2019 to progress phase II. The board approved the renovation of the CMS using an internal team led by a new project manager and business analyst.

The system has now been operational for eight years. Throughout the implementation period, the board reported regularly on progress. The Plean-IT project, both phase I and phase II, was fully completed in 2021. In April 2021, a new website was launched that facilitated online submissions and-or observations, including associated fees for cases before the board. As is standard with all major ICT projects, a lessons learned review of Plean-IT was carried out in 2022 by an external consultant following a public procurement process.

The Department sanctioned a director of transformation and digital services post following the Minister's action plan and the OPR report of 2022 to head up the next development phase of the board’s ICT strategy. An Bord Pleanála's transformation and digital services unit is currently working with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, OGCIO, developing online applications to receive normal planning appeals. An Bord Pleanála is committed to optimising the use of digital channels for service delivery. The board is working towards the provision of a nationally available, user-friendly and easily accessible service that meets customers' expectations. This will be realised by maximising the use of enhanced ICT systems and processes to support business operations. Plean-IT is an example of the board’s commitment to delivery in this area.