Written Answers Nos. 191-209
192. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the OPW plans to purchase property for State organisations in Cavan and Monaghan; the stage of negotiation for each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49277/18]
View answerAs the question refers to matters which would be commercially sensitive, the Office of Public Works is unable to comment on any such plans. Details of properties which are purchased for State organisations are normally made public when purchases have been completed. Generally when OPW is seeking to acquire a property or site it will trawl the market and advertise publicly. However, once negotiations commence on an individual property the details of such negotiation are not made public until the transaction is completed.
193. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his officials met with members of a political party (details supplied) in the past ten days; if he sanctioned this meeting; the reason this meeting took place; if he will provide this Deputy with minutes of the meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49301/18]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Taoiseach has initiated a process with the Leader of Fianna Fáil to review the Confidence and Supply Agreement which facilitates the operation of the current Fine Gael led minority Government.
Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have appointed teams of negotiators and the review is ongoing. In that context, the Taoiseach has requested that factual briefing be provided by the Civil Service on specific issues. This involves officials providing both written and oral briefing to the respective negotiating teams. The negotiating teams have undertaken to ensure that any briefings will be treated as confidential. Any briefings being provided by officials are undertaken in consultation with the Minister in charge of the Department.
In this context, officials from the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform met the negotiating teams last week to brief them on relevant issues.
194. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works is planning to provide a new entrance and exit to the Casino at Marino which is a designated national monument; the planning requirements needed to facilitate this redevelopment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49386/18]
View answerThe Deputy probably needs to consider the connection policy because it sets out the framework that needs to be fulfilled. This includes identifying the businesses that will potentially use gas and their scale - there are concessionary rates for connection charges where there are small and medium sized enterprises, SMEs; and identifying the new estates that might come on stream that would use it and other towns along the route that might connect in. Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, is not going to undertake an assessment of these. This is based on projects that are coming forward, enterprises identified that are about to be approved or supported by the Industrial Development Authority, IDA or Enterprise Ireland. When those enterprises are identified and have a demand for gas then GNI can assess whether that will be connected. Neither GNI nor the Department go speculatively looking to see if they could create a demand for gas. That is not the way the system works. This has been regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. The emergence of new biorefinery activities with a gas demand will trigger an application to the connections policy and provide the opportunity to pass the test applied. It does not lay pipes in advance in the hope that industries might set up. That is not the approval system. There has to be a baseline of work to justify the investment it makes. It is a commercial company and that is the way it has to operate under its regulations.
195. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the fees paid and services rendered to a person (details supplied) in each of the years 2013 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49430/18]
View answerThe payments made by my Department to the individual / company in question from 2013 to 2017 are set out below.
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (Vote 11)
|
Payment Date |
Total |
Services Rendered |
Description of service |
|
2013 |
€110,700 |
Consultancy |
Procurement Advice and Support |
Office of Government Procurement (Vote 39)
|
Payment Date |
Total |
Services Rendered |
Description of service |
|
2014 |
€69,003 |
Consultancy |
Procurement Advice and Support |
196. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to address flooding at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49456/18]
View answerThe protection of Shannon Airport from flooding is the responsibility of the airport owners, the Shannon Airport Authority.
The airport is protected by a range of embankments on its Eastern and Western sides which are owned by the airport Authority which is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of those embankments.
There are other embankments adjacent to the airport which protect Shannon town and these are the responsibility of the Office of Public Works.
The Shannon river basin Flood Risk Management Plan recognises the potential risk of damage to Shannon airport infrastructure in the extreme flood event and indicates that Shannon Airport Authority may wish to consider implementing measures to protect against such risk.
Both the embankments that protect the airport and those that protect the town would not have been constructed to modern engineering standards and would not offer the level of protection required to protect against the 1 in 200 year tidal flood event which is the accepted standard for coastal defences.
In this context it was agreed by the Shannon Airport Authority and the OPW, working in conjunction with Clare County Council, to commission engineering consultants to procure and manage contractors to undertake a joint topographical survey and geotechnical investigation of both the airport and town embankments with a view to determining the shortcomings in the structural integrity and consequent defensive capacity of the embankments.
The technical survey confirmed that the embankments were not of the required standard to protect the airport or the town against the 1 in 200 year event. The commission also included for the engineering consultants to examine the options for addressing the structural weaknesses in the embankments and to recommend the best solution. This study has been completed and has identified a preferred option which involves as the primary measure, the raising, widening and armouring of the front and back faces and crest of the airport embankments and the raising, widening and armouring of the crest and back face of the town embankments.
It has been further agreed between Shannon Airport Authority and the OPW in conjunction with Clare County Council that the required works to both the airport and town embankments will be brought forward as a single project to be co-funded by both agencies relative to their respective responsibilities. It is agreed also that the proposed measures to address the risk of fluvial flooding to Shannon town as set out in the Shannon river basin Flood Risk Management Plan will be incorporated into this joint project also. Clare County Council has agreed to act as the lead authority for the project.
A project steering group has been established with representatives of Shannon Airport Authority, the OPW and Clare County Council. The group's initial task will be to agree a brief for the procurement of engineering and environmental consultants to progress the design of the works and to examine all the required environmental considerations.
197. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his Department's general policy on Supplementary Estimates which he plans to introduce for 2018; his views in general terms on proposed Supplementary Estimates for Votes 20, 24, 31, 32, 35, 37, 38 and 40; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49479/18]
View answerDue to the scale of Government expenditure and the cash basis of Government accounting, the need for Supplementary Estimates can arise for a number of reasons, including policy decisions, timing issues and overspends. Supplementary Estimates are an important element of expenditure management, allowing for the proper alignment of resources within allocations. However, they can only be allowed where they can be accommodated within the overall fiscal parameters.
As outlined in the Expenditure Report 2019, at the end of September PRSI receipts were over €150 million ahead of profile, and it is currently projected that PRSI receipts will finish the year c. €250 million higher than projected in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) 2018. In addition, other Departmental receipts, or appropriations-in-aid, are anticipated to finish the year ahead of profile. It is because of this additional revenue, along with higher than anticipated Exchequer tax receipts, higher-than-projected non tax revenues, and lower non-voted current expenditure, that the increase in gross voted expenditure to be provided by way of Supplementary Estimates can be accommodated.
The position in relation to Supplementary Estimates takes into account the most up to date trends in Departmental expenditure and receipts. Last week, Supplementary Estimates were presented to Dáil Éireann and referred to Committee in respect of the following Vote groups:
- Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Technical);
- Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Technical);
- Children and Youth Affairs (Substantive);
- Defence (Substantive);
- Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Substantive);
- Foreign Affairs and Trade (Substantive);
- Public Expenditure and Reform – Office of Public Works (Substantive) and Superannuation (Technical); and
- Transport, Tourism and Sport (Substantive).
The ceiling for Vote 31 (Transport, Tourism and Sport) is broadly in line with that set out in the Expenditure Report. The Supplementary Estimate for Vote 32 (Business, Enterprise and Innovation) is of a technical nature, to allow for reallocation of funding within the Vote. In relation to Vote 35 (Army Pensions) the additional expenditure required to accommodate the Supplementary Estimate for Army Pensions is expected to be offset by underspends elsewhere in the Defence Vote Group.
A provision for a 100% Christmas Bonus was made in Expenditure Report 2019. A Supplementary Estimate of €139 million is required by Vote 37 (Employment Affairs and Social Protection) in order to meet the Exchequer element of this bonus. Finally, while Vote 40 (Children and Youth Affairs) was below profile at the end of October there are pressures emerging on the Community Childcare scheme. The Department is looking to offset the increased costs arising to the greatest extent possible.
Expenditure Report 2019 outlined that substantive Supplementary Estimates would also be required for the following Vote groups:
- Education and Skills;
- Justice and Equality;
- Health; and
- Housing, Planning and Local Government.
Arrangements are being made to present Supplementary Estimates from these Vote groups to Dáil Éireann in the coming days.
198. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to implement the actions outlined in chapter 3 of the Budget Statement 2019 Expenditure Report relating to the responsibilities of Accounting Officers, the management and monitoring of voted allocations by Dáil Éireann and control mechanisms on public expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49480/18]
View answerA number of actions have taken place since the publication of the Expenditure Report and there are plans in place for further reforms in the area of reporting and accountability into next year and beyond.
Ireland requested support under the European Commission Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP) to advance central Government financial reporting reforms. An OECD team visited Ireland in September 2018 and conducted an assessment of the central Government Accounting Framework with the aim of identifying a road map for the implementation of financial reporting reforms. The OECD assessment includes a gap analysis between the current accounting framework and international best practice and accounting standards. The OECD's final report and recommendations for phased implementation of financial reporting reforms is due by end 2018. OECD will present the main findings and recommendations of its report in a second mission planned for January 2019. I anticipate that the implementation of this road map may also have implications for corporate governance standards and arrangements in relation to public financial management and accountability, and my Department will be keeping this area under active review in this context.
As discussed in the Expenditure Report and the Mid-Year Expenditure Report, there is a spending review process currently underway that will continue beyond 2018. The spending review looks at the trends, sustainability, efficiency and effectiveness of specific spending programmes with the goal of ensuring that public money is used in the most efficient way possible. The spending review in 2018 highlighted necessary improvements to date in identifying data gaps and the scope to further improve and identify performance metrics and indicators. A further spending review cycle will commence in 2019, where the monitoring and improvement in performance will once again be core to the review.
Work is also well underway on revisions to aspects of the Public Spending Code, in particular the technical parameters for expenditure appraisal, and it is intended to finalise these revisions and update the Public Spending Code accordingly.
199. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which his Department continues to monitor the performance in both the public and private sectors with a view to ensuring a reasonable degree of equality throughout the economy in terms of opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49484/18]
View answerSustainable public finances are essential in order to ensure that Government can provide for ongoing improvements in public services and infrastructure. Total voted expenditure in 2019 will be over €66.5 billion, with over €59.2 billion allocated to current expenditure, a c. 4 per cent increase on the current expenditure provision in 2018. This will allow Government to continue to incrementally enhance the delivery of public services, including in key areas such as health and education, for the benefit of all our citizens.
Project Ireland 2040 - the National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Planning Framework (NPF) – was launched by the Government earlier this year. The NDP sets out a 10 year vision for Ireland’s public capital infrastructure priorities over the next 10 years strictly aligned with the National Strategic Outcomes for Ireland’s new spatial strategy contained in the NPF. The NDP demonstrates the Government’s commitment to meeting Ireland’s infrastructure and investment needs over the next ten years, through a total investment estimated at €116 billion. This level of capital spending will ensure ongoing employment maintenance and creation with appropriate regional development.
Project Ireland 2040 seeks to achieve ten strategic outcomes, building around the themes of wellbeing, equality and opportunity. These ten shared priorities will ensure a consistent approach between planning objectives under the NPF and investment commitments under the NDP.
Turning to budgetary reform to support delivery of equality objectives, following a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to ‘develop the process of budget and policy proofing as a means of advancing equality, reducing poverty and strengthening economic and social rights’ an Equality Budgeting pilot was implemented for the 2018 budgetary cycle. The approach I have taken in introducing Equality Budgeting in Ireland is that equality budgeting is to be integrated into the existing budgetary process. Therefore, equality budgeting is contained within the existing performance budgeting framework and utilises the processes already in place.
The measures identified in the pilot related mainly to gender equality but as I outlined in my budget statement in October equality budgeting remains a priority for the coming year and I am therefore expanding the programme to further develop the gender budgeting elements, and to broaden its scope to other dimensions of equality. This expansion is being supported by an Equality Budgeting Expert Advisory Group which will bring expert knowledge on how best to progress this important work. This group is comprised of expert stakeholders such as the National Women’s Council of Ireland, IHREC, NESC, the ESRI and a number of Government Departments.
Another element in responding to the Programme for Government commitment regarding equality budgeting has been the development of a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Framework, which is designed to focus on policy areas that cannot easily be incorporated into the existing SWITCH model, specifically the impacts of public expenditure on recipient households. The framework allows evaluators to broaden the scope of the current SIA practice to take account of not only tax and social welfare measures, but also assess how changes in public expenditure policy can impact on household outcomes and living standards.
200. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which he and his Department have identified issues likely to cause inflation in the property market thereby excluding domestic purchasers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49486/18]
View answerI should first say that responsibility for affordable housing is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, while questions relating to general economic matters are best addressed to me in my capacity as Minister for Finance.
However, what I can say is that, following the launch of the National Development Plan in February 2018, I have established a Construction Sector Group (CSG), chaired by my Department. The role of the CSG is to ensure regular and open dialogue between Government and the construction sector in relation to issues that may impact on the successful delivery of the NDP on a value-for-money basis for the State.
The CSG brings together both key industry segments and relevant representatives from key Government Agencies and Departments. The industry bodies represented are:
- Construction Industry Federation
- Irish Congress for Trade Unions
- Building Materials Federation
- Engineers Ireland
- Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
- Royal Institute of the Architecture of Ireland
- Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland
- Irish Planning Institute
The production by DPER of a Construction Sector Activity Report will be an important source of evidence to inform discussion of the CSG. A work programme will be developed to set the agenda over the next 18-24 months and will include:
- Working with industry and government bodies to (a) benchmark and improve productivity and environmental sustainability and (b) to modernise public works delivery
- Considering opportunities to introduce reforms within the sector that will help in controlling construction price inflation, improving efficiency and delivering value for money for investment
- The supply of necessary skills and measures enhancing capacity (including potential use of overseas contractors)
- Issues arising from inadequate or ineffective regulation, poor performance and systemic poor quality
While the focus of the CSG is the successful delivery of the NDP rather than the property market, I would expect the work of this group will complement any actions in the space of promoting efficiency and cost effectiveness in the construction sector which should benefit the citizen.
203. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which he remains satisfied that each Department continues to effectively operate best practice in the context of public expenditure and reform with a view to ensuring long lasting benefits for the persons and the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49489/18]
View answerManaging the delivery of public services within allocations is a key responsibility of each Minister and Department. There are important measures in place to ensure that our budgetary targets are being met and my Department is in regular contact with all other Departments and offices to ensure that expenditure is being managed within the overall fiscal parameters. Expenditure profiles are published for each month, and the drawdown of funds from the Exchequer is monitored throughout the year and reported on against profile on a monthly basis in the Fiscal Monitor published by the Department of Finance.
The management of expenditure within the overall fiscal parameters over the last number of years has played a key role in ensuring that we have continued to meet out fiscal targets. However, given the scale of Government expenditure - €61.8 billion in aggregate for gross voted expenditure in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) 2018 - and the cash basis of Government accounting, the need for Supplementary Estimates can arise for a number of reasons, including policy decisions, timing issues, and overspends. They are a budgetary tool that allows for the proper alignment of funding allocations with planned expenditure. Of course, they can only be allowed where they can be accommodated within the overall fiscal parameters.
As set out in the most recent Fiscal Monitor, total gross voted expenditure at end-October 2018 was €49,931 million, which is broadly on profile. Net voted expenditure of €40,142 million was €168 million below profile with net voted spending in 14 out of 17 Vote Groups being below profile.
Ensuring long-lasting benefits for citizens and the economy requires a focus on value for money. A number of measures are in place to support value for money in terms of capital and current expenditure. During 2018, my Department has engaged with a range of Departments on year two of the Spending Review process, with a view to reinforcing a systematic analysis of existing spending programmes, focusing on an assessment of efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. In the last two years of the Spending Review process, over 50 analytical papers have been produced.
In relation to capital expenditure, the National Development Plan (NDP) has set an investment in infrastructure of almost €116 billion over the ten year period to 2027. Such a level of investment requires a strong framework to drive its implementation and increased transparency on the projects and programmes being supported by this investment. In this regard, a high-level Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board has been established. The Project Delivery Board will continue to provide strategic direction and leadership to the NDP and National Planning Framework (NPF) implementation process. The Delivery Board will monitor and oversee implementation structures and performance across the various sectors to ensure a co-ordinated and collaborative whole of Government approach to NDP and NPF delivery.
204. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the full extent to date of recruitment throughout the public sector in the context of economic recovery; the expectation in respect of future recruitments throughout the sector in 2019 and thereafter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49490/18]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, in my role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have overarching responsibility for workforce planning in, and recruitment to, the Civil Service.
In Budget 2015, it was announced that there would be a targeted programme of recruitment into the Civil Service to address service needs and a shortfall in key skills. The Deputy will be aware that a number of open competitions have already taken place or are in the process of taking place for recruitment to the Civil Service.
I understand from the Public Appointments Service, who are the independent recruiter for the Civil Service, that since the lifting of the moratorium, approximately 9,500 civil servants from open competitions excluding temporary assignments and professional and technical posts, have been assigned to Government departments and offices across general service grades. This figure would, of course be offset by retirements and other people leaving the Civil Service.
In the Civil Service in 2018, competitions for Clerical Officer, Administrative Officer, and Assistant Principal Officer have commenced or taken place.
It is too early to say at this stage what competitions will be held for all of 2019. Factors such as the demand from Departments/offices from existing panels, consequential vacancies arising, retirements and defined skill demands will influence decisions to hold competitions and these are currently being assessed.
205. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which public procurement and reform thereto continues to be part of policy with particular reference to the need to ensure maximum economic benefit while maintaining good procurement practice and indigenous resourcing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49491/18]
View answerPublic Procurement is a key element of the Government’s Public Service Reform programme and the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) was established to lead on its implementation.
The OGP commenced sourcing operations in 2014 and, together with four key sectors (Health, Local Government, Education and Defence), has responsibility for sourcing common goods and services on behalf of the public service, leveraging the State’s purchasing power. The OGP and its sector partners put in place Framework Agreements and contracts through which public sector bodies can buy these common goods and services, broken down into 16 categories of expenditure.
The reform of public procurement in Ireland is being carried out in a manner that recognises the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Irish economy. The aim is to drive fair, transparent and open competition in the marketplace but also to work with business to ensure that government procurement policies are business friendly.
The OGP works with the SME industry representative bodies (including ISME, IBEC, SFA, Chambers Ireland, and CIF) as well as the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, InterTrade Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to promote the engagement of SMEs in public procurement. Given the budgetary pressures, public procurement reform can support the dual objectives of meeting our fiscal targets and enhancing public services.
All public bodies are keenly aware of the importance of maximising the value for money achievable when procuring any commonly acquired goods or services. The central procurement frameworks and contracts established by the OGP have been designed to optimise benefits to the public service through the strategic aggregation of its buying power. The OGP is continuing to refine the central procurement model in order to strengthen and improve it, in line with the Programme for Government commitments.
206. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which his Department continues to prepare for a worst case scenario arising from Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49492/18]
View answerThe Government is under no illusions about the complexity of Brexit and is taking forward extensive and detailed Brexit preparedness and contingency planning across all Government Departments and Agencies. Contingency planning is well advanced, with all issues identified and an array of measures are under active consideration in a worst case scenario.
Within my own Department Brexit issues are coordinated by the Brexit/EU/North South Unit. The Unit supports me in my work on Brexit, leads work across the Department and its agencies, and represents the Department on the various groups that coordinate the Government's response to Brexit. This work includes the preparation of an Action Plan for responding to Brexit in all scenarios, in line with the approach being taken across Government.
Central to the Government’s preparation for Brexit is the prudent management of the public finances so as to ensure the economy remains competitive in the face of future economic headwinds. Measures being taken include balancing the books, reducing our debt burden, building up the Rainy Day Fund and continuing to invest in infrastructure.
Budget 2019 sets out a number of specific measures aimed at making Ireland Brexit ready, including the introduction of a longer-term loan scheme, the Future Growth Loan Scheme for terms of 8-10 years, to provide a longer-term scheme facility of up to €300 million to support strategic capital investment for a post-Brexit environment by business at competitive rates.
It also provides increased resources of €25 million across a range of Departments and Offices based on the Brexit central case scenario; a €71 million package for the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine and its agencies; an increase of €14 million to the allocation for the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation; and €5 million for the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade to enable it to continue to address the challenges posed by Brexit across a range of headings.
Budget 2019 builds on Budget 2017 and Budget 2018 and will help to ensure that Ireland is in the best possible position to respond to the challenges - and indeed the opportunities - that Brexit will bring.
207. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 859 of 6 November 2018, if his Department has costed the National Broadband Plan; the estimated cost of the National Broadband Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49551/18]
View answerThe Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment is the Sponsoring Agency for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and it is the responsibility of that Department to undertake costings and comply with the Public Spending Code.
It would not be appropriate to comment or speculate on the estimated cost of the NBP, at this juncture in advance of the Government having considered the matter.
The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment is currently evaluating the final tender received under the existing procurement process.
208. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the long promised Clonlara flood relief scheme following the decision of Clare County Council to withdraw its plans as a result of submissions from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and an environmentalist; the implications the delay has for the commencement and completion of this urgent scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49553/18]
View answerThe Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) study carried out by the Office of Public Works resulted in the publication of Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMP’s) for each river basin district studied under the programme. The FRMP for the Shannon river basin identified a potentially viable solution for the flooding problem in Springfield (Clonlara) comprising the construction of a flood defence embankment with floodgate and pumping and recommended that this be progressed to project-level development and assessment including necessary environmental assessment.
The Office of Public Works has approved funding to Clare County Council (CCC) for this project and the project is being progressed by the Council which is the contracting authority for the proposed works.
Following consideration of a number of submissions received as part of the project’s Part VIII planning application, it became apparent that further information and a more detailed assessment of some environmental factors were required.
Having regard to that, and to the requirement as a Local Authority to satisfactorily address all relevant environmental matters, CCC considered it appropriate to withdraw the current Part VIII application.
On completion of the necessary further assessments, including an updated cost-benefit assessment, CCC will then be in a position to prepare and submit an updated planning application at the earliest juncture.
209. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a timeline for the development of his Department's specific climate change targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49573/18]
View answerAs Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, my role is to ensure that the funds allocated to addressing climate change are well-managed, well-targeted and sustainable. My Department does not have specific climate change targets save for the objective of improving its energy efficiency by 33% by 2020.
A sustained whole of Government approach will be required to enable Ireland’s transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. I am, together with my Department, committed to playing our part in this transition.
For example, earlier this month my Department published significant reforms to the Public Spending Code, which will, when adopted, require all Government investment projects to price future greenhouse gas emissions at the estimated cost that Irish society will have to bear in reaching our climate targets in their appraisal.
As I announced on Budget Day, Ireland has also joined the OECD Paris Collaborative on Green Budgeting. My objective in joining this initiative is to integrate environmental and climate outcome based reporting into our annual budgetary processes. This will be an iterative process but Ireland's participation in the Paris collaborative will lead to more transparency on the level and effectiveness of Ireland's climate expenditure.
The Irish Government Economic Evaluation Service (IGEES) was created to enhance the role of economics and value for money analysis in public policy making. IGEES has already conducted reviews of areas of climate related expenditure and will continue to systematically analyse the performance of programmes to gather evidence to support better informed decisions.
In addition to funding made available to Departments for tacking climate change through the annual budgetary/estimates process, the National Development Plan/Project Ireland 2040 also provides significant increased levels of funding for climate action related measures. Project Ireland 2040 commits a record level of investment for climate change initiatives over the next decade, with €21.8bn specifically allocated for Transition to a Low Carbon and Climate Resilient society (National Strategic Outcome 8).
In addition, a number of the other National Strategic Outcomes in the NDP are also directly relevant to delivering on our climate action goals - €14.5 billion is allocated to encouraging compact smart growth and a further €8.6 billion is allocated for investment in environmentally sustainable public transport while €8.8 billion is allocated for the sustainable management of water and other environmental resources. The NDP also established a €500m Climate Action Fund which will leverage investment by public and private bodies in climate action measures. The results from the first round of applications to this fund will be announced shortly.
