Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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362. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 52 of 24 June 2021, the status of the review of the position in relation to the filling of the post of chief executive of Galway County Council on a permanent basis; the person or body that is carrying out the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46543/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The merger of Galway City Council and Galway County Council to create a single administrative area was recommended unanimously by the Galway Expert Advisory Group in April 2018.  This recommendation was endorsed by a Government Decision in June 2018 and provisions to give effect to this policy decision were included in the Local Government Bill 2018. Those provisions passed all stages in the Dáil but were defeated in the Seanad and were withdrawn. 

In light of the foregoing, it has been deemed appropriate to review the position in relation to the filling of the post of the Chief Executive of Galway County Council on a permanent basis and I intend to review the matter before the end of the year.

The appointment of a chief executive is not part of the review, however a decision on the timing of such appointment will be made following the review.

 There is a requirement for all Chief Executive posts for Local Authorities to be advertised openly on the www.publicjobs.ie website operated by the Public Appointments Service (PAS).

The assignment by Government to PAS of key responsibilities in relation to the operation of the recruitment of Chief Executives to the Local Government Sector is underpinned by factors such as PAS’s statutory independence and by the core values that guide PAS’s activities, for example, impartiality, fairness and ethical conduct as well as PAS’s long-standing experience and deep expertise in carrying out assessment processes. 

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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363. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the promised review by the Office of the Planning Regulator of Galway County Council under section 31AS of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, as part of the Pilot Programme of Reviews of Local Authorities’ Systems and Procedures in the Performance of Planning Functions; the timeline for the completion of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46546/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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One of the Office of the Planning Regulator’s (OPR) core statutory functions is to conduct reviews of systems and procedures used by local authorities and An Bord Pleanála in the delivery of their planning functions. In this regard the OPR is implementing a programme of reviews under section 31AS of the Planning & Development Act 2000, as amended, whereby each authority in turn will benefit from a review, broadly over a six-year cycle.

The OPR initiated the pilot phase of its reviews programme in late 2020, selecting four authorities for inclusion on the basis of the variety of characteristics, in terms of location, scale, urban / rural settings, etc., across these authorities. The blend of planning contexts offers a good basis for the OPR to test its methodology for conducting reviews and to further inform subsequent phases of the reviews programme.

Galway County Council has not yet been selected for a review. The OPR has yet to select authorities to be reviewed in 2022 and beyond. In scheduling subsequent phases of the reviews programme, the OPR will continue to ensure that a good geographic spread and balance of authorities with varying planning contexts are included.

It should be noted that 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 the Office of the Planning Regulator is oireachtas@opr.ie.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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364. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the promised review by the Office of the Planning Regulator of Galway City Council under section 31AS of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended as part of the Pilot Programme of Reviews of Local Authorities’ Systems and Procedures in the Performance of Planning Functions; the timeline for the completion of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46547/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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One of the Office of the Planning Regulator’s (OPR) core statutory functions is to conduct reviews of systems and procedures used by local authorities and An Bord Pleanála in the delivery of their planning functions. In this regard the OPR is implementing a programme of reviews under section 31AS of the Planning & Development Act 2000, as amended, whereby each authority in turn will benefit from a review, broadly over a six-year cycle.

The OPR initiated the pilot phase of its reviews programme in late 2020, selecting four authorities for inclusion on the basis of the variety of characteristics, in terms of location, scale, urban / rural settings, etc., across these authorities. The blend of planning contexts offers a good basis for the OPR to test its methodology for conducting reviews and to further inform subsequent phases of the reviews programme.

Galway City Council is included in the pilot phase of the programme and it is expected that the OPR will complete and publish the review report before the end of the year.

It should be noted that 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 the Office of the Planning Regulator is oireachtas@opr.ie