Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 528: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his proposals to provide additional staff for local authorities to strengthen their planning enforcement function; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11594/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In addition to the strengthened and simplified enforcement regime introduced by the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Government has increased the resources available to planning authorities to carry out all their planning functions, including enforcement. Planning authorities' staffing levels increased by more than 40% in the years 2000-04 from 1,333 to nearly 1,867 full-time and part-time staff based on local authority returns submitted to my Department. Planning authorities are now also entitled by virtue of the 2000 Act to require any person served with an enforcement notice to refund to them the costs and expenses incurred in investigating the infringement and issuing the enforcement notice. Any fine imposed by a court for a planning infringement must also be paid directly to the authority. Given the above significant increases in staffing, I am satisfied that local authorities are prioritising this sector for staff deployment.