Revealed: New investigation carried out into staff member at An Bord Pleanála
An St, Molesworth On Chaney/collins Dublin Bord Gareth Office The Pleanala Dublin Picture:
A separate investigation into potential conflicts of interest of a staff member at An Bord Pleanála has taken place, the can reveal.
The investigation was entirely unconnected to the conflict-of-interest allegations made against former deputy chairman of the board, Paul Hyde, and is instead focused on a staff member as opposed to a member of the board.
The allegations centred on the role of the staff member in processing a case from a planning applicant team that included “a person well known” to the staff member.
It is understood the conflict arose in a number of different cases in which both individuals were involved.
There is also a suggestion that the employee attended a planning meeting at which the person on the applicant team was also present.
The allegations are contained in an internal An Bord Pleanála report that was commissioned after controversies arose in relation to Mr Hyde last April.
The internal review was designed to examine all allegations that arose from the Paul Hyde affair, but there has never been any announcement that a separate inquiry had been taking place into another individual at An Bord Pleanála, and the issue had been unknown to the public until now.
A spokesperson for An Bord Pleanála said the chairman is currently reviewing the internal report and considering what, if any, further actions are warranted.
“Advice on publication of part or all of the report in due course is also being sought,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The internal report, details of which were first revealed in Monday’s , also examined presentations made by staff members to organisations or representative bodies.
It notes that some elements of these presentations were “concerning”, as they might call into question the bona fides of individuals who engage with the planning process or could impact perceptions about the impartiality of the board.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has received a copy of the internal report, but a spokesperson for the department says that any action is a matter for An Bord Pleanála (ABP) and the minister will not be commenting on the report for now.
The internal report examined 300 cases generated in ABP over the last four years to check for various issues that have been reported in the media.
These include examination for major lapses of governance and malpractice in areas such as conflicts of interest for board and staff members, the composition of decision bodies, and a number of instances in which inspectors were either directed or requested to change their reports before officially submitting them to the board.
The report also detailed that evidence had been received of a “romantic relationship” that may have impacted on board decisions and processes.