Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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253. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to the ongoing investigation into complaints regarding irregularities in the administration of planning in County Donegal, the reason he will not permit the senior counsel undertaking the exercise to investigate the matter relating to An Bord Pleanála and Donegal County Council which has been documented to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25910/17]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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254. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to the ongoing investigation into complaints regarding irregularities in the administration of planning in County Donegal, the reason he will not permit the senior counsel undertaking the exercise to investigate the matters relating to the CEO of Donegal County Council which have been documented to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25911/17]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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255. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to the ongoing investigation into complaints regarding irregularities in the administration of planning in County Donegal, the reason he will not permit the senior counsel undertaking the exercise to investigate the matters relating to the civil servants that advised on the discredited report put before Dáil Éireann regarding these matters in 2012 and which has been documented to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25912/17]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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256. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to the ongoing investigation into complaints regarding irregularities in the administration of planning in County Donegal, the reason he will not permit the senior counsel undertaking the exercise to investigate the matters relating to the acting director of planning and senior planner in Donegal County Council which has been documented to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25913/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 253 to 256, inclusive, together.

My Department appointed a Senior Counsel on a non-statutory basis to prepare a report in relation to planning matters in Donegal in 2015.  The terms of reference for this scoping review relate to allegations furnished by a complainant to a previous Minister in respect of planning matters in Donegal.

The complainant sought to have additional matters added to the terms of reference in 2015. However, as the original terms of reference already involve a very large volume of allegations by the complainant, it was decided that it was not appropriate to add in these later issues, having regard to the scope of the original terms of reference which were focused on planning matters in Donegal. The complainant has had direct communication with my office on the remaining four matters and is fully aware of the position on those.  

I am eager now to see that this review is brought to a speedy conclusion to enable consideration of what further steps, if any, may be appropriate.  I understand that Senior Counsel's independent review is at an advanced stage and I will await the findings of this report, which is to be submitted to me by mid-June.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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257. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of all investigations into planning matters initiated by him or his ministerial predecessors under section 255 of the Planning and Development Acts since 2011; the current status of each investigation; the details of the findings made and actions taken in cases in which these investigations have concluded; the reason for the delay in those investigations not being concluded; and if he will lay before Dail Éireann the completed or ongoing investigations when they are concluded. [25965/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Since 2011, there has been one investigation initiated under section 255 of the Planning and Development Acts and that investigation concluded in 2015.

The investigation referred to is the Independent Planning Review of The Performance of Planning Functions having regard to Specific Issues raised in respect of Six Planning Authorities.  This investigation was undertaken by MacCabe Durney Barnes Consultants, who were appointed in February 2014 under section 255 to carry out an independent review of the performance of planning functions in respect of six planning authorities (Carlow, Cork, Galway and Meath County Councils and Cork and Dublin City Councils).

The Final Report by MacCabe Durney Barnes was submitted on 2 July 2015 and is published on my Department's website ().  The Report outlines 29 recommendations in total, of which 21 recommendations relate to future planning practices across the planning system and a further 8 advisory recommendations in relation to specific issues in the six local authorities concerned. Following consideration of those recommendations by my Department, a response report was published on my Department's website in December 2015, responding to each of the recommendations including planned implementation.

There are no outstanding investigations under section 255 at this time.