Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
88. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a list of the capital projects outlined in the national development plan which are currently behind schedule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11387/22]
View answerThe Minister is more prepared than I am. I ask him to give an update on the capital projects outlined in the national development plan, NDP, including any that may be behind schedule.
As part of Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan 2021-2030, which was published on 4 October last year, sets out the Government's overarching investment framework and broad direction for investment priorities for this decade.
As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at a departmental level. My Department is also responsible for maintaining the national frameworks within which Departments operate to ensure appropriate accounting and value for money in public expenditure, such as the public spending code. The public spending code sets the value-for-money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing capital projects. Management and delivery of individual investment projects within the allocations agreed under the NDP and within the national frameworks is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister.
It is important to acknowledge that the majority of public investment projects are delivered on budget and on time and there is a high level of professionalism across the sectors.
Reforms are also ongoing in governance and in their broader capability to help to ensure successful delivery. In my role, I am responsible for setting the guidance processes for the spending of capital funds. The NDP also sets out the range of actions that are being taken to strengthen delivery, to maximise value for money and to ensure, to the extent that is possible, that projects are delivered on time, on budget and with the benefits targeted at the outset. For an extensive list of projects that are currently planned and in progress as part of Project Ireland 2040, the Deputy might consider the publications that were published alongside the NDP, in particular, the updated investment tracker, which provides a composite update on the progress of all projects.
I thank the Minister for that update. We are all acutely aware of how important capital projects are for the infrastructure deficit that we have in so many aspects of our daily life, as well as in different areas across the country. It is for that reason that I thought it was important to ask this question and to get that level of update. Not only will capital projects assist in any infrastructural deficit, they are also important for the creation of good jobs for people across the area and indeed in rural and more isolated areas who may not have had the same opportunities. I welcome what the Minister said. It is important that we do everything in our power at all times to ensure that these projects are delivered on time.
There is a lot of information available online. We published alongside the NDP, as I mentioned, the updated investment tracker. That sets out a composite update on the progress of all major investments, with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million. The NDP is also accompanied by the "My Project Ireland” mapping tool, which provides details on specific projects by county. This includes smaller investments such as schools and social housing projects. All of that information is on gov.ie/2040. It shows the investment tracker and the mapping tool. We publish as much information as we possibly can. For many of the smaller projects, an inquiry to the individual Department would get the most accurate response. Certainly, for the larger projects, we co-ordinate the reporting online on a regular basis.
It is important that that information is available. It is good to see that that is readily and easily available online for those people who are concerned, or who have questions. That aspect of addressing those smaller scale questions directly to the Minister is important for accuracy. I welcome the information that the Minister has given here this evening. It is important. I will share it with those people who have contacted me about different capital projects and ensuring that they are delivered on time.
I thank the Deputy. We all have a role in raising the profile of those information sources. I am not sure if as many people as we would like are aware of the extent of the information available concerning individual projects. It is very user friendly. You go onto the mapping tool, you click on your county and you will see all of the significant projects that are being advanced under the national development plan. You can get an update on all of those.
Now, every Minister and Department has certainty of their capital budget until 2025. This enables them to plan the delivery of a pipeline of projects over that period of time. The Department of Transport and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications have a line of sight out to 2030, given the long lead-in period that is involved in the multi-annual projects they are seeking to advance. The important thing now is to get as much information as possible across to the general public so that it can see how the vast resources that are being provided under the national development plan are being deployed.
