Seanad report: Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said his department was looking to address the problem of people who pass themselves off as planning specialists.
Closing a debate on the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines, he said party colleague Eamon Scanlon was right when he spoke of agents who submitted "no-hope" planning applications for clients. "This is absolutely improper and it's dishonest."
Other House members had spoken about how rogue agents blamed local authority planners for problems which arose from poorly or incompetently-prepared applications. "These same people would talk about corruption in the planning system. It's their approach which is corrupting the planning system."
Young people who could ill afford it were going through multiple planning applications because of incompetence.
"My department is looking at ways to address the problems of people who have no planning skills and very little training and are passing themselves off as planning consultants, planning specialists or even architects."
Responding to criticism of the approach to planning adopted by An Bord Pleanála, Mr Roche said it was not right to adopt an a la carte approach to the board's decisions. "When they make a decision that we like they are great, and when they make a decision that is bad they're appalling.
"That is actually at the core of the debate about the M3. Many of the people who would be absolutely horrified and would be racing to their pens to write to The Irish Times about me if I interfered with An Bord Pleanála were advising in the last 48 hours that that is exactly what I should do."
He said he had spoken with the chairperson of the planning board recently and it was making huge efforts.
He agreed with Mary White (FF) that it would be desirable to have the Rural Dwellers' Association nominated to the board.
Mr Roche said Labhras Ó Murchu (FF) had posed a very interesting rhetorical question relevant to the opposition in some quarters to the new guidelines. He had queried how many of the great houses of Ireland, such as Powerscourt, Carton or Fota, would have got permission if the current planning arrangements had been enforced.
Ann Ormonde (FF) said she did not understand the composition of An Bord Pleanála. "Its regional plannings often give positive opinions on planning applications only for the board to turn them down. I cannot understand how the process works. Will the Minister examine this issue?
"Many fine geography graduates want to enrol for a masters degree in planning. However, they cannot get on the course because they are stopped by professionals in cahoots with the planners and local authorities. Will the Minister examine this?"