Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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223. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for a breakdown in tabular form of the number of staff, and their grade currently, employed within An Bord Pleanála, highlighting if they are employed on a part-time or full-time basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5935/24]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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224. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for a breakdown in tabular form of the number of vacant staffing positions and their grade within An Bord Pleanála; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5936/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together.

An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts.

There are now more people working at the Board than at any time previously. Since October 2021, my Department has agreed to 117 new staffing posts in the Board. The Board has advised that as of 31 December 2023 there were 254 individuals working in the Board including Board Members. The Board received approval and sanction from my Department for a total of 313 posts for 2023.

Details of staffing are an operational matter for individual agencies. 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.