Murphy blasts Government dithering on independent Planning Inquiries

Press Release | 3rd May 2012

Speaking after questioning Minister Jan O’Sullivan in the Dáil today, Deputy Catherine Murphy demanded the immediate reinstatement of the independent planning inquiries scrapped by this Government.

She stated that “the Minister’s assertion that the previous Government had not commenced planning investigations is simply untrue”. Independent planning investigations were commenced by Minister John Gormley in June 2010 following the review of an Internal Departmental Report detailing complaints received from the Ombudsman, An Taisce and members of the public regarding planning irregularities in six local authorities including Carlow County Council.

The Local Authorities concerned were asked to formally respond to the issues raised and responses were received in July 2010. In September 2010 an invitation to tender was issued inviting planning consultants to tender for a panel of planning consultants charged with independently reviewing the complaints.  The tenders were reviewed and planning consultants were ready to be appointed when the previous Government fell. However, on assuming office Minister Penrose scrapped the Independent Inquiries.

The Deputy stated that the Dublin planning problems detailed in the Mahon Report are “by no means an isolated issue”. This is evidenced by a letter in February 2010 from the Ombudsman to the person who made a compliant regarding planning practice in Cork City Council. The Ombudsman referred to planning “difficulties of a systemic nature which may need to be dealt with on a systematic basis”.
Deputy Murphy continued “to restore credibility in our fractured planning system we need the Internal Departmental Report to be published and the external Independent Planning Investigations to be reinstated.

“The outrage felt after the findings of the Mahon Tribunal cannot be allowed to be temporary.”

Independent Planning Inquiries – Tender issued by Minister John Gormley

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Posted by admin on May 3, 2012. Filed under homepage,In the Dáil,Latest News,National Issues,Parliamentary Questions,Planning & Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry