Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2019
151. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the financial impact on the annual capital envelopes outlined in annex 1 of the National Development Plan 2018-2027 as a result of the increased costs associated with the national children’s hospital; the Departments that will be impacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10225/19]
View answer162. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the figures for the capital plan are subject to evaluation and examination by his Department before inclusion in the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7361/19]
View answer163. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way in which the capital plan is prepared and profiled; the regularity with which the budget is re-examined to identify changes required in provisioning for capital expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7360/19]
View answer164. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which budgetary corrections in respect of capital expenditure need to follow in the wake of the overrun of costs for the national children’s hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7346/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 162 to 164, inclusive, together.
My Government colleagues and I have examined all projects and programmes across government in order to meet the funding pressures accruing on the National Children’s Hospital project. This has allowed us to reschedule €75 million from projects such as in the case of the A5 Motorway in Northern Ireland, which is paused due to external issues; and to re-profile the delivery of some projects within the multi-year capital envelopes. The Department of Health will also re-profile €24 million in capital funding across both 2019 and 2020 to facilitate multi-annual management of projects and works within the capital envelopes and to ensure the timely delivery of the National Children's Hospital project. A full list of the adjustments is set out below;
- re-scheduling of €27m arising in relation to the A5 Motorway in Northern Ireland;
- re-scheduling of €10m arising in relation to the National Forensic Science Laboratory;
- advance payment of a sum of €10m from the Department of Education and Skills in respect of higher education facilities at the National Children’s Hospital;
- an updating of the scheduled draw-down of €16m from the two Project Ireland 2040 Regeneration Funds, which are being profiled for expenditure throughout the course of both 2019 and 2020 without delays in project planning, design and delivery;
- re-profiling of payments of €4m under certain programmes of investment in Communications, Climate Action & Environment;
- €3m from the re-profiling of investment under the Flood Risk Management Programme of the Office of Public Works to allow for capacity to be built up over the course of the NDP period;
- revision of the schedule of drawdown of funding in the PER and Finance Groups of Votes totalling €3m; and
- €2m through changes to the timing of payments relating to certain capital works by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with full project delivery scheduled across both 2019 and 2020.
The Government has approved the proposals in this regard, which I announced on the 12th February. The overall intention is to proceed with our very ambitious agenda of strategic infrastructure investment throughout the course of 2019 and subsequent years, with the minimum of disruption to the rollout and delivery of key projects.
The National Development Plan (NDP) sets out the Government's commitment to capital investment up to 2027, and was prepared with substantial involvement by all relevant Departments and Agencies. Responsibility for evaluation and costing of individual projects is a matter for those Departments and Agencies. NDP sets out the multi-annual capital funding strategy, which feeds into the normal Budgetary cycle, culminating in the Revised Estimates Volume voted by the Dáil. As high-level aggregate allocations, the NDP capital envelopes have a broadly stable character; it is anticipated that updates to the overall envelopes, to take account of policy developments and to include the new incoming year of the five-year frame of reference, will be made in due course.
