The current interim chair of An Bord Pleanála, Oonagh Buckey, is to take up the position of Secretary General of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications in September. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
Four more judges are expected to be appointed to the High Court before the end of July. There are pressures across several lists in that court, including due to the impact of the new Assistant Decision Making Capacity Act which provides for the discharge of more than 2,000 people from wardship within three years.
Siobhán Lankford became a senior counsel in 2018, thirty years after being called to the Bar. She operates in general practice and is an accredited mediator. Before taking up the role of interim chair of An Bord Pleanála, she was Deputy Secretary General in the Department of Justice with responsibility for civil law, which includes immigration, courts and legislation. She was previously Director General in the Workplace Relations Commission.