Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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253. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he plans to issue revised rural housing guidelines to local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52090/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Following engagement between the European Commission and my Department regarding the 2013 European Court of Justice ruling in the Flemish Decree case, a working group, comprising senior representatives from my Department and planning authorities, was established in May 2017 to review and, where necessary, recommend changes to the 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing, issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, with a view to ensuring that rural housing policies and objectives contained in county development plans comply with the relevant provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

The deliberations of the Working Group concluded in September and my Department is now in the process of further engagement with the European Commission on the proposed changes to be made to the 2005 Guidelines, which it is expected will be finalised early in 2018. 

Planning authorities were advised by way of Circular letter PL 2/2017, which issued on 31 May 2017, that the existing 2005 Guidelines remain in place and they should not amend rural housing policies in their development plans until after the revisions to the Guidelines have been finalised and issued. The Circular letter is available to view on my Department's website at the following link:

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