Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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262. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the €2 million allocated to An Bord Pleanála to assist in speeding up the planning process as outlined in budget 2018; the amount has been spent; the way in which the money has been spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27240/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Section 116 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides for the payment to An Bord Pleanála in each financial year of a grant of such amount as the Minister may fix, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The grant goes towards financing the administration and general day-to-day expenses of the Board.  

The current expenditure grant allocation to the Board for 2018 is €16.8m, an increase of €1.6m on the corresponding allocation for 2017.  In addition, the Board has been allocated a capital grant of €0.5m for 2018 to implement an ICT strategy which will facilitate the introduction of on-line planning services as part of a complete upgrade and replacement of its core systems.  In the year to date, the Board has drawn down €8.4m and €0.5m of its current and capital allocations, respectively.

The increase in the current funding requirements in 2018 is attributable to a number of factors, primarily relating to increased staffing costs.  In particular, additional staffing has been provided in relation to the implementation of the strategic housing development process introduced under the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016.