Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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130. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the expenditure of his Department and An Bord Pleanála in respect of all legal services provided in all appeal and judicial review applications instituted against his Department and-or An Bord Pleanála by case in each of the years since January 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10756/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department seeks, where possible, to minimise its legal costs and avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in terms of the provision of legal advice and representation of the Department in planning related judicial review court cases and any subsequent appeals. The costs involved are generally borne by the relevant State agencies. The cost of any additional legal services for planning related judicial review court cases and any subsequent appeals for the period requested, met directly by the Department, is as set out below.

The legal expenses of An Bord Pleanála in relation to judicial review challenges against decisions taken by it is a matter for the Board. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for An Bord Pleanála in this regard is Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie.