Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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222. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the specific steps in the Action Plan on Competitiveness & Productivity which will address planning delays, approval times and regulatory burdens for housing developers in Cork suburbs e.g. Glanmire, Blarney, Bishopstown; if he will publish target timelines for planning decisions in those areas; and if resources will be allocated to local authorities to meet those targets. [49503/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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There are six themes covered by the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity and two of these are specific to regulation and the delivery of infrastructure.

Under Theme 4 (Regulating for Growth and Controlling Costs), the Government has proposed to expedite the Environment Miscellaneous Provisions Bill. This will implement statutory timelines for Environmental Protection Agency decisions. This should reduce the time spent on Environmental Impact Assessment decisions that could potentially delay large-scale developments. A deadline of Q1 2026 has been set for the implementation of his action with the Department for Climate, Energy and the Environment taking the lead.

Due to the role of court procedures - including judicial reviews - the Action Plan also recommends the full implementation of Review of the Administration of Civil Justice Report in order to reduce the cost of litigation, remove overly complex rules of procedure, and improve practices to ensure timely hearings.

Under Theme 5 (Increasing the States Capacity to Deliver Infrastructure) also contains a priority action on the work of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce. The Taskforce has identified 12 barriers to infrastructure delivery. These include barriers that greatly contribute to planning delays, such as the prevalence of judicial reviews and inconsistent planning deadlines. The Action Plan also acknowledges the substantial legislative progress made with regard to planning, consenting and judicial review arrangements through the Planning and Development Act 2024, and commits to commencing these reforms to enhance delivery of infrastructure as soon as possible.

Finally, the operation of the planning system - and the resourcing of the Local Government system - is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.