31T.—(1) The Planning Regulator shall prepare a strategy statement for the Office within 6 months of its establishment and thereafter not earlier than 6 months before and not later than the expiration of each subsequent period of 6 years following the establishment day.

(2) The strategy statement shall be prepared on the basis of an organisational wide strategic approach encompassing the functions and principal activities of the Office and shall include:

(a) a statement setting out the approach taken in respect of each of the Office’s functions referred to in section 31P;

(b) a statement of the principal activities of the Office;

(c) the objectives and priorities for each of the principal activities and strategies for achieving those objectives;

(d) the manner in which the Office proposes to assess its performance in respect of each such activity, taking account of indicators which shall be identified by the Office and of the need to work towards best practice in service delivery and in the general operation of the Office;

(e) human resources activities (including training and development) to be undertaken for the staff of the Office;

(f) the organisational structure of the Office, including corporate support and information technology and the improvements proposed to promote efficiency of operation and customer service and in general to support the strategy statement; and

(g) such other matters as the Planning Regulator considers necessary.

(3) Within 3 months of the preparation of the statement of strategy for the purposes of subsection (1), the Office shall cause copies of it to be submitted to the Minister and laid before each House of the Oireachtas.

(4) In this section "principal activities" includes the following:

(a) any observations and recommendations issued in respect of—

(i) the review of development plans,

(ii) variations of development plans,

(iii) the preparation and amendment of local area plans, and

(iv) the preparation of regional spatial and economic strategies;

(b) any plans and strategies made in a manner consistent with the observations and recommendations referred to in paragraph (a);

(c) any recommendations issued by the Office to the Minister that the Minister uses his or her powers of direction under section 31 or 31A as regards—

(i) the review of a development plan,

(ii) variations of development plans,

(iii) the preparation and amendment of local area plans, and

(iv) the preparation of a regional spatial and economic strategy;

(d) any directions issued in a manner consistent with the recommendations of the Planning Regulator;

(e) the research, education and training conducted;

(f) the reviews undertaken of the performance of planning functions of planning authorities and the Board.]