Government appoints Oonagh Buckley as interim chairperson of An Bord Pleanála
Was The This Of Meeting Agreed Picture:leah Ie Oonagh Upon Afternoon A Farrell/rollingnews At Buckley Appointment
The Government has appointed Oonagh Buckley as interim chairperson of An Bord Pleanála (ABP).
The appointment of the Justice Department's Deputy Secretary General was agreed upon at a meeting this afternoon.
It follows the decision by the former chairperson, Dave Walsh, to take early retirement from his role with ABP earlier this month.
His announcement followed months of media and political pressure over revelations of malpractice and misgovernance in the organisation.
In her role in the Department, Ms Buckley is responsible for civil law which includes immigration, courts and legislation.
Previously, she served as Director General of the Workplace Relations Commission and also held positions in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of the Environment and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Ms Buckley's appointment as interim chair will be effected through the use of Ministerial powers to appoint a Deputy Chairperson under existing provisions of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 as amended and further forthcoming amendments through the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment Bill) 2022.
In 2017 she was appointed an adjunct Professor in Law at University College Cork, having graduated from the college's Law School in 1992.