Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 November 2024
224. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will publish the Mulcahy report into panning issues in County Donegal; and if not the full report, whether he will publish a summary of the report, highlighting its main findings and any recommendation raising from those findings. [45676/24]
View answerI am considering the report, entitled 'A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council', by Mr. Rory Mulcahy S.C., and will bring this matter to Government for consideration in due course.
The review is a scoping report and as such it does not make findings as to the truth or otherwise of allegations that have been made by an individual against named persons. The Attorney General's office has been consulted on both the content of the report and also on the issue of its potential publication and dissemination.
Further, regarding the publication of the Mulcahy Report, the decisions of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (OCE-103174-W9G4J2 (Legacy Reference CEI-18-0019)) of 13 February 2019 and the Information Commissioner (OIC-59426-Q8D7T8) of 27 February 2020 in relation to requests to publish this report will also be taken into account. Both decisions are publicly available on those bodies' websites.
It should be noted that in each of these cases, both the Commissioner for Environmental Information and the Information Commissioner decided not to grant access to the report. The Office of the Information Commissioner decision stated "placing the details concerned in the public domain would significantly breach the rights to privacy of identifiable individuals." Furthermore, the decision of the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information notes that the report does not contain "significant "wider" recommendations" that could be applicable to the planning system as a whole.
Therefore, this is a matter that requires careful consideration given that the report details unproven allegations against named persons.
