Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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311. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether transport projects can lawfully proceed in an area where the planning authority has been found by the High Court to be in non-compliance with its mandatory duty to prepare a Local Area Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68544/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The interpretation of any judgment made against a local authority is a matter for the local authority concerned and, should the Deputy have queries regarding a specific judgment, he may wish to address his query to the relevant local authority.

Furthermore, specific 'transport projects' may constitute, from a planning perspective, planning applications that the Minister would be precluded from commenting upon in light of Section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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312. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether the Office of the Planning Regulator received formal notifications about Local Area Plan non-compliance in a local authority (details supplied); the actions that followed from those notifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68545/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) is an independent public body which was established on 3 April 2019 under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended to perform the following functions:

1. independent assessment of all local authority forward planning and regional assembly forward planning, including development plans, local area plans and regional spatial and economic strategies;
2. reviews of the organisation, systems and procedures used by any planning authority, including An Bord Pleanála, in the performance of any of their planning functions under the 2000 Act; and
3. conducting national education and training programmes for members and staff of planning authorities and regional assemblies in relation to proper planning and sustainable development; and also conducting research on matters relevant to the OPR’s functions and such other matters as may be requested by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.