Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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632. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to amend the planning laws to force local authorities to abide by the EU treaty and end the locals only restriction on one-off housing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4125/18]

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 officials 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 Working Group concluded its deliberations in September 2017 and my Department is now engaging with the European Commission on the matter, with a view to issuing revised Guidelines to planning authorities as soon as practicable after the National Planning Framework is finalised and published. 

Planning authorities were advised in May 2017 that they should not amend rural housing policies in their development plans until the Guidelines have been revised.  The relevant Circular letter is available to view on my Department's website at the following link:.