Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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45. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the appointment to the State planning board of persons who were previously involved in framing controversial proposals such as the Poolbeg incinerator. [34305/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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It is unclear as to which Board member, or members, of An Bord Pleanala the Deputy is referring.

The process for making appointments to An Bord Pleanála is governed by the Planning and Development Act 2000. In terms of its operations, An Bord Pleanála operates under a Code of Conduct as required by section 150 of the Act. One of the purposes of the Code is to ensure that any potential conflicts of interest relating to the statutory functions of An Bord Pleanala are dealt with in an appropriate manner. This Code is available for viewing on the Board’s website at

Section 13 of the Code contains procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest in the context of meetings of An Bord Pleanála where appeals and other planning cases are determined. Section 15.2 of the Code also requires that a Board member shall not deal with any case in any capacity on behalf of the Board where the member had any involvement at any time in the matter, either on a personal basis or on behalf of a previous employer or as a member of any other organisation or voluntary body. Furthermore, section 15.4 of the Code requires that a Board member shall not knowingly deal with a file relating to a planning authority or a private practice where he/she was previously employed during the previous 2 year period or any voluntary or professional organisation of which the person is or was a member during the previous 2 year period.