“Hugely disruptive and disquieting” – An Bord Pleanála chairman updates staff about a “few very difficult weeks”

The chair of An Bord Pleanála told staff that allegations and media commentary about their work had been “hugely disruptive and disquieting”.

In a memo sent to employees, Dave Walsh said they’d been under the spotlight during a “few very difficult weeks” amid serious allegations about their work.

He said it had been “significantly damaging,” and had undermined their reputation and integrity in the minds of the public.

Mr Walsh wrote: “While, as a quasi-judicial body, we don’t perhaps have the same scope to speak out in a public forum and address all of the issues being raised, I want to reassure you all that I fully recognise the seriousness of these issues and its implications for the entire organisation.”

The message was one of a series of communications from senior management to staff as they grappled with the fallout from the resignation of deputy chairman Paul Hyde and other controversies about their work.

You can read the full set of records below, as well as see some other records released under FOI by ABP.

These include minutes of the management committee, diaries for the year 2021, and legal costs incurred by the Bord.