To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, in light of the Minister for Communities not introducing legislation to allow local councils to continue to meet remotely, for her assessment of the impact on their ability to take planning decisions in a timely manner.

Legislative responsibility to allow local government committees including planning committees to operate remotely lies with the Department for Communities (DfC). My officials have been liaising with DfC and have been advised that the Minister for Communities is intending to bring forward legislation to extend the provisions which provide councils with the flexibility to meet remotely.

The Local Government (Meetings and Performance) Bill will be introduced into the Assembly shortly and it is proposed that the Bill should proceed via accelerated passage to complete its Assembly stages before summer recess, coming into operation the day following Royal Assent. This will ensure that the gap in legislative cover for councils to hold remote meetings will be as short as possible. The Department for Communities has also advised that funding, allocated to councils to assist with issues arising due to COVID, may be used if necessary to make arrangements for councils to meet in person until the legislation comes into force. They have also confirmed that it is their understanding that all councils have put contingency arrangements in place to allow council business to continue during the interim.

In the majority of cases planning decisions are delegated to planning officers within the various councils. It is hoped, for those applications which are decided by planning committees, that the contingency arrangements put in place by councils will reduce any potential negative impact on timeliness. I have asked my officials to keep me apprised of any issues in this regard.