Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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117. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to clarify his position on the publication of updated language planning guidelines; if he intends to publish draft Gaeltacht planning guidelines; if so, if he will provide a timeline for their publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65497/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The new Housing Plan 'Delivering Homes, Building Communities' contains an action to publish a National Planning Statement for housing in Gaeltacht areas in the first half of 2027.

Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provided that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage could issue guidelines to planning authorities regarding any of their functions under the Act and planning authorities were required to have regard to those guidelines in the performance of their functions.

That section was repealed on 2 October 2025 as the planning system transitions to operate under the new legislative provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2024.

Section 25 of the Act of 2024 provides for a new form of planning policy and guidance known as a National Planning Statement. This provision was commenced on 2 October 2025 and therefore future planning policy and guidance from the Minister will issue to planning authorities in the form of a National Planning Statement. It is intended that existing section 28 Guidelines, which will continue to operate until replaced or revoked, will be replaced over time by National Planning Statements, along with any new guidance that the Minister intends, with the approval of Government, to issue.

The Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, sets out mandatory objectives for local authorities, which must be addressed in the drafting of their Development Plan governing local development policies. Where there is a Gaeltacht area within the planning authority’s administrative area, the development plan must include provisions and objectives for “the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht including the promotion of Irish as the community language”.

The Development Plans Guidelines for Local Authorities published in July 2022 give further guidance to local authorities, including reflecting the Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas (Limistéar Pleanála Teanga – LPTs as required under the Gaeltacht Act 2012) as well as the inclusion of further policies such as ensuring that development proposals in Gaeltacht areas have a positive impact on the linguistic and cultural heritage that can be robustly assessed at planning application stage.

An Interdepartmental Group (comprising my Department, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) and Údarás na Gaeltachta) is still continuing its work in developing specific planning guidance for Gaeltacht areas. There is also a separate Working Group made up of both Departments and Údarás na Gaeltachta and the relevant local authorities with Gaeltacht areas. Interdepartmental Group and Working Group meetings took place in 2023 and bilateral Departmental engagement continued into 2024 and into 2025, with the most recent meeting taking place in July 2025.

Having regard to the need to consider the complex matters involved and further to engagement with the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, a finalised draft National Planning Statement will be assessed for the purposes of applicability of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) perspective.