An Bord Pleanála chief said search cleared staff of internal report leak

Dave Walsh said it had been a “very difficult” time for An Bord Pleanála and that he hoped a long weekend would give staff some time to “recharge the batteries”.

The ex-chairman of An Bord Pleanála said a forensic search had cleared staff of leaking an internal report and that it was important for their “peace of mind” that they knew that.

In an email to staff, Dave Walsh said it was vital for the reputation of the planning board and that he hoped that two other public bodies with access to the report would carry out a similarly “thorough” investigation.

Mr Walsh said it had been a “very difficult” time for An Bord Pleanála and that he hoped a long weekend would give staff some time to “recharge the batteries”.

In the update to staff last October, he wrote: “The continued media commentary on the issues in the report and the re-hashing of previous reporting is both unfair and counterproductive to all the work that we are continuing to do to address matters.” 

Detailing the steps An Bord Pleanála had taken to determine the source of the leak of the internal report, he said a forensic ICT examination had taken place. He said IT experts had looked at any stored locations of the final report and whether it had been accessed by anyone outside management.

Mr Walsh wrote: “This examination has concluded that, apart from the three members of the senior management team who prepared the report and myself who received the report on Thursday October 20, there were no other unauthorised accesses of the documentation.

“All emails with the attachment that were sent either within the organisation or externally between the relevant dates where a leak could have occurred (Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd) were accounted for and fully in order.” 

He said it was clear from the investigation that the report had not been leaked by anybody within An Bord Pleanála.

'Momentous news'

A few days later in early November, Mr Walsh wrote to staff to say he had “momentous news” for them and that he was planning to step down from the planning board. He said it had been a “hugely difficult decision” but said he believed there was a need for a “new focus and leadership” as An Bord Pleanála faced into a lengthy period of reform.

A later update to staff from their chief officer said the retirement had been unexpected and that the absence of a chairperson would have a knock-on effect for decision-making. Bríd Hill said it needed to be acknowledged that the four remaining board members were now under “considerable pressure”.

She wrote: “I do acknowledge that it continues to be a very challenging and difficult environment to work in with the continued external scrutiny.” On November 22, it was confirmed that Oonagh Buckley would be taking up an interim chairperson role after leaving her post in the Department of Justice.

In an introductory email to staff, she said she had watched with “concern as the public perception” of An Bord Pleanála had been damaged. She also wrote of how it continued to be a “challenging and difficult environment” for staff.

On proposed changes to come at An Bord Pleanála, she wrote: “As you know change can be difficult, it moves us out of our comfort zones and makes us learn new things and do things differently.”