Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 486: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the charges which are imposed in each county for a copy of the CD of the county development plans; and if there is EU or Government funding available to subsidise the costs of the CDs for the public. [2908/04]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not have details of the charges imposed by each planning authority for a copy of the CD of the authority's development plan. The amount of any such charge is a matter to be determined by each individual planning authority. Section 16 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides that a planning authority shall make available for inspection and purchase by members of the public copies of its development plan. The Act further specifies that such copies shall be made available for purchase on payment of a specified fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy. Section 248 of the 2000 Act also provides that copies of any such documents may be provided in electronic form, for example on CD.

I am not aware of any sources of funding at national or EU level to subsidise the costs to members of the public of purchasing copies of development plans, in electronic form or otherwise. It should be noted, however, that the Act requires that the planning authority must make copies of the development plan available for inspection by members of the public and this service is free of any charge.