Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 454: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the financial burden placed on schools by virtue of section 89 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1963 and regulations made under that Act, whereby schools are charged €630 per annum for having direction signs to their location; and if he will consider introducing regulations providing exemptions from these charges for educational institutions. [3985/04]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Section 89 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1963 was repealed on 11 March 2002, and restated in section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This section provides for a licensing system for the placement of various structures and appliances on, under, over or along a public road, including town or landscape maps for indicating directions or places and advertisement structures. The licensing system ensures that the local authority can exercise control over the placing of structures on roads to prevent traffic hazards arising.

Regulations were made in 2002 to provide for a fee for advertisement structures consisting of a direction sign to indicate tourist accommodation. Planning authorities will be advised to ensure that the licensing system is not applied inappropriately to direction signs that are not advertisement structures.