Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

247. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress made to date on fully resourcing the Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27916/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

On 15 October 2024, my Department published a Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources to respond to capacity challenges in the planning sector. This Action Plan provides a detailed roadmap to increase the pool of planning and related expertise needed to ensure a planning system fit for future needs. It sets out 14 high-level actions that provide a coordinated pathway to ensure a sustainable pipeline of planning and related expertise into the future, addressing the areas of education, recruitment and retention, as well as measures to encourage greater innovation and efficiency.

Funding was secured in Budget 2025 to support delivery of the Action Plan and a Steering Group was established to coordinate and oversee the development of this Action Plan. This group remains in place to oversee the implementation and ongoing review of the Action Plan. Five Working Groups, the members of which are key stakeholders, have been established to progress grouped actions in the areas of education, national recruitment, international recruitment, system reform and innovation and efficiency. These working groups have met a number of times and the work of the groups is progressing well.

A copy of the Action Plan can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/51194-ministerial-action-plan-on-planning-resources-october-2024/

In October 2023, my Department conveyed approval to the filling of an initial 100 additional posts, subsequently increased to 101 posts, in the local authority planning sector under the first tranche of a programme of supports for planning resources. A further approval issued in January 2025 for 112 additional posts - 56 graduate planner posts and 56 staff officer posts - to support the Planning function within local authorities. Local authorities were notified of their allocation for Phase 2A graduate planner posts on 17 April 2025. A graduate planner recruitment campaign was launched on 13 May 2025 to attract graduate planners into Ireland’s Local Authorities (Action 4), which was supported by my Department. The occupation of town planner has been added to the Critical Skills Occupation List (Action 9) which will allow eligible non-EEA professionals from outside of Europe to benefit from streamlined employment permit processes, making it easier for Irish employers to recruit and retain international talent in this vital sector.

My Department is currently working on a number of measures to increase staffing levels in the local government planning sector. In this regard, my Department is collaborating with the Local Government Management Agency on the delivery of a further programme of supports to planning authorities. These supports include the provision of staffing resources and expertise to enable planning authorities to perform their functions efficiently and effectively.