Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State very much. There is a lot of information in that, if I was ever convinced, or needed to be convinced, that the Department needed to exercise its governance and have a governance unit as regards An Bord Pleanála. I respectfully ask the Minister of State to take a message to the Department, including the senior manager, that it should initiate a full and comprehensive governance review of all matters relating to IT in An Bord Pleanála since 2014. I am deeply concerned and have substantial knowledge about some of the shortcomings. I am more than happy to assist the Department with any issues I can. If the Minister of State takes a trawl through the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, he will see back to Simon Coveney's time as Minister that commitments were consistently given. They have not been met. There is an inconsistency across the 31 local authorities. I can go to Cahersiveen to express a concern about a planning matter, but I have to come to Marlborough Street in Dublin to look at some of the coloured pictures with regard to planning. There are major shortcomings. There are concerns about the governance and the spending of public money. There is a lack of transparency and a lack of accountability around this issue. I ask the Minister of State to convey this to the Minister as a matter of importance. It is my view that a number of parliamentary questions should be submitted the week after next to Dáil Éireann to flesh out this matter in more detail.