Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if there is a statutory impediment that would prevent local authorities from informing councillors of scheduled pre-planning discussions before they take place and from allowing councillors from the relevant local area to attend these discussions either as observers or advocates for the public and community interest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36491/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Section 247 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides that a person who has an interest in land and who intends to make a planning application may, with the agreement of the planning authority concerned (which shall not be unreasonably withheld), enter into consultations with the planning authority in order to discuss any proposed development in relation to the land and the planning authority may give advice to that person regarding the proposed application. The section also provides that, in any such consultation, the planning authority must advise the person concerned of the procedures involved and the requirements of the permission regulations, and must also indicate the relevant objectives of the development plan which may have a bearing on the decision of the planning authority.

A planning authority must also keep a record in writing of any consultations under this section that relate to a proposed development, including the names of those who participated in the consultations, and that a copy of such record shall be placed and kept with the documents to which any planning application in respect of the proposed development relates. Section 247 makes no reference to the matter of informing elected members about scheduled pre-application consultations or to the attendance of members at such consultations.