Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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243. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the proposed location of the headquarters of the regeneration and development agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18467/18]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of staff working within the regeneration and development agency; the anticipated number of staff by the end of 2018 and 2019, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18468/18]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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245. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the overall allocated 2018 budget for the regeneration and development agency; the anticipated budget for 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18469/18]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 to 245, inclusive, together.

Project Ireland 2040 signals a significant policy shift towards securing more compact and sustainable urban and rural development, which requires significantly more effective land management in key development areas.

Against that background, it is proposed to establish a National Regeneration and Development Agency to assist in ensuring a more effective approach to strategic land management, particularly in terms of publicly owned land.

The Agency will act as a national centre of expertise, working with and supporting local authorities, public bodies and other interests, to harness public lands as catalysts to stimulate regeneration and wider investment and to achieve compact, sustainable growth, with a particular emphasis on complex regeneration projects.

The detailed arrangements in relation to the establishment of the Agency are currently being worked on by my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, with a view to their finalisation as quickly as possible. These discussions will inform the designing of the functions, resource needs, budgetary requirements and location of the Agency, once it is established.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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246. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the anticipated headquarters of the new office of the planning regulator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18470/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Planning & Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 provides, inter alia, for the establishment of the Office of the Planning Regulator. This Bill is currently at Committee Stage in the Seanad and is expected to be enacted by the Summer. Once it is passed into law, I will be in a position to set an establishment date for the Office.

The Office will provide for enhanced oversight of the planning system and help ensure the highest possible standards in planning practice.

In preparation for the Office's establishment, my Department is liaising with the Office of Public Works to source the most suitable available premises for the Office of the Planning Regulator, and these discussions are ongoing.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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247. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of staff working in the office of the planning regulator; the anticipated number of staff by the end of 2018 and 2019, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18471/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) has not yet been established as the necessary statutory framework is not yet in place. The Planning & Development (Amendment) Bill 2016, which provides for the establishment of the OPR, is currently progressing to Report Stage in the Seanad. Once it is passed into law, I will be in a position to set an establishment date for the Office.

My Department has been making such preparations in advance of the establishment of the Office as are possible, while awaiting the enactment of the legislation.  Once appointed, the Regulator will continue the preparatory work that my Department has been engaged in to set up the Office. It is envisaged that the Regulator will be supported by a small number of staff initially to build up the functional and administrative capacity of the Office, ensuring its ability to meet statutory obligations. In the longer term and subject to agreement on resource requirements with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, it is envisaged that the Office will have a permanent staff of approximately twenty employees, who will be recruited on a phased basis, in the period following initial establishment.