John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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338. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago, the status of the progress made to date on action 3.9 to support the development of online planning services for the local authority sector and An Bord Pleanála; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35083/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016, published in January 2016, proposes to amend section 33 of the Planning and Development Act to empower the Minister to make regulations to facilitate the on-line submission of planning applications and appeals, including relevant fees, by electronic means (referred to as e-planning) to planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála respectively. The Bill further proposes that decisions in relation to planning applications and appeals may also be dealt with by planning authorities and by An Bord Pleanála respectively by electronic means.

These proposals are amongst a broad package of measures currently being progressed by my Department to facilitate the further streamlining of the planning system, to bring it up to date technologically, and to make it more administratively efficient. The Bill will shortly be concluding Second Stage debate in the Dáil and it is my intention to make the necessary regulations to underpin the introduction of e-planning at an early date following its enactment, with a view to facilitating its accelerated roll-out across the local authority sector and An Bord Pleanála by end 2017, as envisaged in action 3.9 of Rebuilding Ireland – An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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339. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago, the status of the progress made to date on action 3.10 to implement a root and branch review of the planning system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35084/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am currently progressing two Bills through the Houses of the Oireachtas proposing significant reforms of the planning system. The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 is primarily intended to give legislative effect to the planning-related recommendations of the Final Report of the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments (otherwise known as the Mahon Tribunal), including the establishment of the new independent Office of the Planning Regulator. The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 provides for the legislative underpinning of a number of key priority commitments in the Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland, published in July 2016.

Action 3.10 of the Action Plan incorporates a commitment to commence a "root and branch" review of the planning system, particularly around forecasting, planning and delivering residential development and taking account of the work underway in relation to the development of the National Planning Framework. It is intended to commence the implementation of this action in the first quarter of 2017, in line with the timeline indicated in the Action Plan.