Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2019
86. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of procurement officials within the NTMA or across Departments charged with managing and overseeing public private partnership contracts; the average annual cost of salaries in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10634/19]
View answerAs I have no responsibility for assigning individual roles in other Departments I am unable to provide the Deputy with a breakdown of procurement officials or salary costs in that regard as it would be a matter for the individual Minister concerned.
I have made enquiries from the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), which is designated as the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) when providing financial advice to State authorities undertaking major public investment projects and delivering Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects in sectors other than transport and the local authorities. Further information on the NDFA and its role, including its role in respect of PPPs, is available in the NTMA Annual Report and Accounts for 2017. This report is accessible at https://www.ntma.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NTMA-Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2017.pdf and I would draw the Deputy’s attention to pages 28-31 in particular. As the Deputy will note from this report, NDFA staff are engaged across a wide-range of financial advisory, procurement, project delivery and contract management services linked to the NDFA’s role in advising on and procuring major infrastructure projects for the State.
At the end of 2018, the NDFA had 61 staff at an approximate salary cost of €4.8m.
