Fórsa members are preparing to lobby members of the Oireachtas on their opposition and concerns about some of the proposed changes slated for enactment in the Planning and Development Bil 2022.

Fórsa official Lisa Connell issued a letter to Oireachtas members yesterday, on behalf of the union’s members at An Bord Pleanála, ahead of a scheduled Dáil debate on the new legislation. Fórsa represents all grades and professions in the national planning body.

Lisa explained the communication with Oireachtas members is designed to highlight members’ concerns with the proposed legislation, and said that management and the State were failing to adhere to the principles of meaningful consultation enshrined in public service agreements.

She added: “These concerns relate to the proposed name change, the lack of consultation with staff, the proposed statutory deadlines and the potential reputational impact.”

Lisa added that An Bord Pleanála’s status, as an independent quasi-judicial organisation, was now at risk of being reduced to an ‘adjunct’ of the department: “These changes have the potential to undermine the staff commitment to public service values and could erode the public’s confidence in the ability of An Bord Pleanála to operate free from political influence,” she said.

It’s been widely reported that officials at An Bord Pleanála are pushing against plans to rename the national planning body as An Coimisiún Pleanála. Fórsa members there remain concerned, while the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has signalled his determination to rename the authority, following a series of recent crises.

Last month it was reported that Paul Hyde, a former deputy chairman of ABP, avoided jail after appealing his two-month prison sentence for making false or misleading declarations.