Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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147. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the actions he has taken arising from the independent review of inquiries into planning irregularities in six local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7947/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Independent Planning Review of The Performance of Planning Functions having regard to Specific Issues raised in respect of Six Planning Authorities – Final Report by MacCabe Durney Barnes was published on 15 December 2015. The independent Review Report found that the planning system was not broken or fundamentally flawed from a legislative and policy framework perspective, but that certain systems and procedures need to be reviewed and enhanced to achieve the standards of transparency, consistency and accountability that a modern society expects.

My Department’s response to the report entitled Response of the Department of the Environment Community and Local Government to the Independent Planning Review of the Performance of Planning Functions having regard to Specific Issues raised in respect of Six Planning Authorities outlined the steps to be taken in the implementation of the Report’s recommendations via legislative, regulatory and policy level changes.

My Department continues to actively work, along with local authorities, to implement the recommendations by means of legislative amendments, ministerial guidelines, circular letters, bilateral requests or other mechanisms, as appropriate. The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 is currently before the Oireachtas and, once enacted, will enable the establishment of an independent Office of the Planning Regulator to maintain an ongoing overview of the performance of planning authorities.

In relation to the recommendations concerning the six planning authorities (Carlow, Cork, Galway and Meath County Councils and Cork and Dublin City Councils), the Councils concerned have addressed certain recommendations raised in the report and are actively working to address the others. My Department will continue to engage with the planning authorities concerned in that regard.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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148. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the investigation into certain planning matters in County Donegal; the timeframe involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7948/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department appointed Senior Counsel on a non-statutory basis in September 2015 to prepare a review report in relation to planning matters in Donegal. Senior Counsel was originally due to submit a review report to my predecessor by end-October 2015; however, further interactions and clarifications sought with regard to the scope and nature of the review resulted in delays to its conclusion.

These clarifications have now been provided and I expect Senior Counsel to complete his independent review as soon as possible over the coming months. While I intend to publish the report after having considered its contents, I will only be in a position to confirm this after I have received the report and fully considered it.