Written Answers Nos. 443-460
443. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the reason the National Lottery requires that small retailers, wishing to be agents of the lottery, put up a lifetime deposit rather than a deposit for only a number of years until they can gauge how business performs at their location. [16550/23]
View answerI am informed by the Regulator of the National Lottery who is informed by the operator of the National Lottery, Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), that PLI manages credit risks in line with industry norms to help ensure that all monies collected through the sale of Lottery products by its Retail Agents are secured. For this reason, PLI require a deposit or a bank guarantee, based on the individual retailers' preference, which is consistent with standard industry practice and based on the size and scale of the retailer in question and market conditions.
PLI will and does review a Retail Agent’s security as and when requested to do so by the individual Retail Agent. PLI returns deposits provided by retailers at the cessation of their tenure as National Lottery Retail Agents assuming no monies collected on PLI’s behalf remain outstanding.
444. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform who has oversight responsibility for the Public Appointments Service, if his Department plans to review its performance and ensure that regulations are being implemented properly in the execution of its duties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16635/23]
View answerI am informed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), which is a body under the aegis of my Department in accordance with the Public Service Management Act, that responsibility for implementation of PAS Board policy, strategy, management and operation of the Public Appointments Service resides with the Corporate Executive, affected through the Chief Executive.
The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform conducts regular oversight of expenditure including a review of spending on a monthly basis; oversees achievement of and compliance with any delegated arrangements in place for staffing and pay; provides Ministerial consents where and as appropriate; discusses with the CEO the priorities to be delivered each year in line with the Statement of Strategy; and is responsible for the legislative function in relation to the PAS.
As a civil service body, governance within PAS is aligned to the requirements of the Corporate Governance Standard for the Civil Service. In carrying out its functions, PAS operates in accordance with PAS policies and wider government, and Civil Service policies and regulations across all areas, including financial management, internal control, Human Resources, ICT, Capital building and reporting. Compliance is monitored on an ongoing basis by PAS (and its Board) and both compliance and the policies in place are subject to Internal Audit review and review by the C&AG.
The CEO as Accounting Officer is personally responsible for, and accountable to, the Oireachtas for regularity and propriety in the PAS’ accounts, the efficient and effective use of PAS resources, and for the control of assets in accordance with Comptroller and Auditor General Acts 1866 to 1998.
There is an annual Performance Delivery Agreement in place between the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the PAS, documenting an agreed level of service and performance, and formalising a process whereby the outcomes required from PAS can be measured and assessed. The document sets out PAS’ key targets, and the output and outcome indications from which performance shall be measured.
PAS has an independent Board, which is appointed by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (following consultation with the relevant Ministers as set out in the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004). The Board operates to an agreed Terms of Reference and a Code of Practice for the PAS Board and also monitor the performance of PAS and compliance with key governance requirements.
Recruitment to the civil service and a range of other public bodies operates under the provisions of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Acts, 2004 to 2013. PAS operates under licence from the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) and is independent in its operations. In carrying out its recruitment and selection processes, it complies with the Codes of Practice published by the CPSA, which ensure that fair and open processes are in place. Where the Codes do not apply, it adheres to the same core principles in carrying out its functions.
PAS has established an internal Compliance Unit (independent of the recruitment and selection processes) with responsibility for carrying out reviews and examining complaints under Section 7 and 8 of the CPSA Code of Practice and apply similar standards for reviews of processes where the Codes do not apply.
445. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the current funding that would be required to extend the opening hours of the National Botanic Gardens until 8pm during the summer months. [16919/23]
View answerAs stated in previous correspondence (PQ 473/22 & 44185/22), the National Botanic Gardens is primarily a scientific collection of living plants. These form a significant living collection of rarities, some of which are the only example of their kind in cultivation. Unlike a public park, the plant collection requires greater oversight, in line with international botanic garden standards, and has to be adequately staffed during opening hours.
Extending the opening hours is not so much a question of cost, but rather best practise in protecting and managing such an important national collection. The horticultural work programme is largely team-based with a specific work-pattern and work processes. Since the working day begins at 8am, opening to a later hour would give rise to the imposition of a 12-hour shift pattern on staff, which would result in significant changes in operations and work practices at the gardens.
The OPW is of the opinion that such a collection requires the protection afforded by the existing operations which are in-line with best practice internationally and therefore there are no plans to extend these hours. In terms of the availability of open spaces in Glasnevin, there are a number of adjacent municipal parks that do not require the same level of oversight, with late opening hours which ensure good provision of public park amenity to the local community.
446. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 387 of 28 March 2023 to the Minister for Education, if he plans to introduce any reforms to civil and public service staff leave arrangements for parents who have had a child through surrogacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16958/23]
View answerSurrogacy leave is not a statutory leave entitlement in Ireland. There are a number of statutory leave policies in place for parents in the civil service which implement the provisions of the relevant legislation.
Maternity leave in the Civil Service is granted under Circular 31 of 2006 which implements the provisions of maternity protection legislation which is under the remit of the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The granting of maternity leave in the Civil Service is conditional on an employee being eligible for statutory maternity leave. Similarly, adoptive leave is granted to civil servants in accordance with the Adoptive Leave Acts 1995 and 2005, which outline the eligibility criteria. This legislation is also under the remit of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
Parental Leave in the Civil Service is granted under Circular 20 of 2008 which implements the provisions of the Parental Leave Acts 1998 -2019. Parental leave is available to all relevant parents in Ireland. Relevant parent means a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco parentis'.
447. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform when the Public Service Transformation Framework will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17107/23]
View answer452. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform when the overarching framework for Public Service Transformation will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17112/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 447 and 452 together.
I wish to inform the Deputy that I expect to publish a new strategy for public service transformation in the very near future (within the coming weeks). The strategy document will be published on Gov.ie.
This new strategy will act as a successor to the Our Public Service 2020 framework.
448. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will outline the causes of the underspend in cumulative net capital expenditure of €1.6 billion or 19.4% behind profile of €8.3 billion; if he can provide updated figures on both cumulative net capital expenditure and profile; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17108/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department is responsible for the allocation of public funds across each area of Government spending and seeks to ensure that expenditure is managed by Departments in line with these allocations. The responsibility for the management and delivery of investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan 2021 – 2030 (NDP), rests with the individual sponsoring Department in each case.
The drawdown of capital expenditure from the Exchequer is detailed each month and is publicly available in the Fiscal Monitor, which is published on the gov.ie website. All line Departments and agencies submit information on their expenditure levels against profile to my Department, along with an explanation outlining details regarding any variance of under or over spending against profile.
The figures being queried by the Deputy would appear to relate to the end-November 2022 capital expenditure position. The Fiscal Monitor for March 2023 recorded net cumulative capital expenditure to end-March of €1,177 million, which was €336 million behind the profiled figure of €1,513 million.
Capital expenditure by its nature tends to be lumpy, with a particularly high drawdown at year-end. It is therefore not unusual for Departments to record an under or over spend against profile throughout the year - this can be clearly demonstrated when the end-November 2022 figures queried by the Deputy are compared against the end-year figures. The Fiscal Monitor for December 2022 recorded net capital expenditure of just under €10.9 billion, which was €572 million behind the full 2022 net capital expenditure allocation of €11.4 billion, including supplementary estimates.
There can be any number of reasons for projects to diverge from the profiles submitted at the beginning of the year, such as delays in planning, delays caused by the rising level of costs, supply chain disruptions, fuel costs and skilled labour shortages. These factors may contribute to completion delays and therefore create a variance between the profiled drawdown of expenditure and the submission of invoices by contractors.
As such, capital carryover is in place to assist Departments with the management of their capital spend across years to alleviate pressures and delays caused by timing issues and the impact of unexpected occurrences. This procedure is also designed to promote value-for-money in the use of capital funding, in particular by mitigating any incentive on the part of public bodies or Departments to spend any remaining capital allocation at end-year in an accelerated manner rather than surrender it to the Exchequer.
The Government has committed to investing €165 billion in capital programmes and projects across a range of investment sectors, as set out in the NDP 2021-30 published in October 2021. Over €12 billion is available to spend on vital infrastructure this year, including capital carryover from 2022. This will ensure investment continues to be made in areas such as housing, transport, education, enterprise, sport and climate action.
My Department will continue to monitor and report on capital expenditure developments as the year progresses.
449. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to outline plans and the timeframe to update the Public Spending Code to more fully incorporate climate impacts and indirect effects of policy decisions. [17109/23]
View answerThe Public Spending Code is the tool that the Government uses to consider the costs and benefits of the capital investment decisions it faces. As part of my Department’s enhanced mandate around the delivery of the NDP, I recently announced that the Public Spending Code will be replaced by a set of Infrastructure Guidelines. It is critical that these Infrastructure Guidelines incorporate a realistic assessment of the likely impact on greenhouse gas emissions of Government investment decisions.
The National Development Plan review committed my Department to reviewing certain elements of the Public Spending Code to ensure climate considerations are adequately incorporated. As part of this programme of works, my officials have been working with the OECD, funded by the EU Commission through DG REFORM’s Technical Support Instrument, on two aspects of public capital expenditure appraisal requirements in Ireland.
1. The model for assessing the emissions impact of infrastructure investment; &
2. The appraisal of investments that may be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
This work will help to improve the Government’s understanding of the relationship and impacts of investment decisions on the wider environment and climate.
There has been extensive engagement with other Departments and stakeholders including an OECD fact finding mission in April 2022 and a workshop and diffusion event in January 2023.
The OECD are currently finalising their report on Strengthening Environmental Considerations in Public Investment Management in Ireland. On completion of the report, my Department will evaluate the OECD’s recommendations before considering what changes may be appropriate for the new Infrastructure Guidelines.
Over the longer term, as set out in the NDP Review, the Department will examine the role that the Infrastructure Guidelines can play in the achievement of broader environmental objectives and in support of the national commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.
450. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the number of WTEs employed in the public service in each year since 2006 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17110/23]
View answerThe table below sets out the total number of public service employees, in full time equivalent terms, including Local Authorities and Oireachtas staff, in each of the years from 2006 to 2022. This data, which was notified to my Department by the relevant organisations, is publicly available on the Department's website at databank.per.gov.ie/Public_Service_Numbers.aspx.
|
Year |
Total Public Service Employees (FTE) |
|
2006 |
304,512 |
|
2007 |
313,037 |
|
2008 |
325,117 |
|
2009 |
315,059 |
|
2010 |
310,201 |
|
2011 |
301,572 |
|
2012 |
294,608 |
|
2013 |
291,838 |
|
2014 |
293,346 |
|
2015 |
301,589 |
|
2016 |
309,751 |
|
2017 |
320,758 |
|
2018 |
330,576 |
|
2019 |
339,258 |
|
2020 |
350,454 |
|
2021 |
365,893 |
|
2022 |
376,216 |
451. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the gross Exchequer pay bill for each year since 2006 to date; and the gross Exchequer pay bill as a percentage of total Government expenditure for each year since 2006, in tabular form. [17111/23]
View answerPublic Expenditure is categorised into current and capital. Current expenditure is further broken down into pay, pensions and non-pay expenditure. The trend in pay expenditure is set out in the table below.
453. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the total expenditure through public procurement in each of the years since 2006, broken down by capital works and goods and services, and by inside and outside of central Government spending; and the total amount of expenditure through public procurement as a percentage of total government spending since 2006, in tabular form. [17113/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department is responsible for the allocation of public funds across each area of Government. It does not have a function for the allocation or monitoring of expenditure outside central Government spending. The following table sets out the gross capital and current expenditure outturn figures as audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and published in the annual Appropriation Account Reports for the period 2006 – 2021. The 2022 figures are the provisional outturn figures as reported by Departments, which are currently being audited and will be published by the C&AG later-on this year. It should be noted that the 2022 provisional outturn figures do not include the carryover of €687 million into 2023 or the carryover of approximately €800 million from 2021 spent in 2022. The 2023 allocations are included for the Deputy’s information.
|
Year |
Capital €,000 |
Current €,000 |
Total €,000 |
Capital as % of Total |
|
2006 |
6,661,045 |
43,355,261 |
50,016,306 |
13.3% |
|
2007 |
7,819,137 |
48,606,873 |
56,426,010 |
13.9% |
|
2008 |
9,011,084 |
53,383,958 |
62,395,042 |
14.4% |
|
2009 |
7,332,611 |
55,718,650 |
63,051,261 |
11.6% |
|
2010 |
6,384,671 |
54,178,899 |
60,563,570 |
10.5% |
|
2011 |
4,514,782 |
52,847,163 |
57,361,945 |
7.9% |
|
2012 |
3,808,786 |
52,148,979 |
55,957,765 |
6.8% |
|
2013 |
3,386,884 |
50,985,721 |
54,372,605 |
6.2% |
|
2014 |
3,597,075 |
50,501,338 |
54,098,413 |
6.6% |
|
2015 |
3,729,603 |
50,864,071 |
54,593,674 |
6.8% |
|
2016 |
4,212,293 |
51,774,604 |
55,986,897 |
7.5% |
|
2017 |
4,601,083 |
54,019,310 |
58,620,393 |
7.8% |
|
2018 |
5,995,568 |
57,056,854 |
63,052,422 |
9.5% |
|
2019 |
7,164,222 |
60,101,064 |
67,265,286 |
10.7% |
|
2020 |
9,101,590 |
75,643,321 |
84,744,911 |
10.7% |
|
2021 |
9,666,293 |
77,549,488 |
87,215,781 |
11.1% |
|
2022 |
10,246,577 |
77,891,775 |
88,138,352 |
11.6% |
|
2023 |
12,100,188 |
77,788,813 |
89,889,001 |
13.5% |
454. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform when he intends to progress legislation establish the Office of Government Procurement on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17114/23]
View answerIn commencing the procurement reform programme in 2013, the Government decided that the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) be established initially as a Division within my Department, with an intention to establish it thereafter on a statutory basis. I am currently considering this matter. As the Deputy is aware, primary legislation is required to establish the Office on a statutory basis and, to that end, it was included in Government's Spring Legislative programme.
455. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide a full list of flood relief schemes managed by the OPW and the status of the schemes, in tabular form. [17115/23]
View answerThe Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for leading and coordinating the implementation of localised flood relief schemes to protect Ireland against significant flood risk from rivers and the sea. Since 2018, the Government has committed €1.3bn, to 2030, to deliver some 150 additional flood relief schemes identified as part of the OPW’s Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. Since 2018, a partnership between the OPW and the Local Authorities has allowed Ireland to treble, to 90, the number of flood relief schemes currently at design, development and construction stages.
The OPW currently acts as the lead authority for 8 of those flood relief schemes at various stages of the lifecycle of a scheme. Table 1 below lists each of these OPW-led flood relief schemes along with their present status.
Under the current partnership model between OPW and the Local Authorities, the other schemes are Local Authority led, and the OPW provides technical and administrative support while acting as the Approving Authority. The status of all ongoing flood relief schemes is available at www.floodinfo.ie/ .
Information is also available on the above-mentioned website in relation to the completed schemes that are providing protection to over 12,000 properties and an economic benefit to the State in damage and losses avoided estimated to be in the region of €1.9 billion.
Table 1. OPW-led flood relief schemes
|
Flood Relief Scheme |
County |
Status |
|
Ballinasloe Flood Relief Scheme |
Galway |
Stage I: Scheme Development and Preliminary Design |
|
Ballymakeery/Ballyvourney Flood Relief Scheme |
Cork |
Stage I: Scheme Development and Preliminary Design |
|
Bride River (Blackpool) Flood Relief Scheme |
Cork |
Stage II: Public Exhibition / Confirmation |
|
Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme |
Mayo |
Stage II: Public Exhibition / Confirmation |
|
Lifford Flood Relief Scheme |
Donegal |
Stage I: Scheme Development and Preliminary Design |
|
Lower Lee (Cork City) Flood Relief Scheme |
Cork |
Stage II: Public Exhibition / Confirmation |
|
Raphoe Flood Relief Scheme |
Donegal |
Stage II: Public Exhibition / Confirmation |
|
River Mall (Templemore) Flood Relief Scheme |
Tipperary |
Stage IV: Implementation/Construction |
456. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide an update on the OPW role in the provision of appropriate infrastructure at Rosslare in response to Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17116/23]
View answerAs a consequence of the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the infrastructure developed by my Office, acting on an agency basis, for the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine and the Department of Health/HSE, was required to conduct checks and controls. Compliance with the Union Customs Code (UCC) remains a key driver for the need for permanent state infrastructure within Rosslare Europort and my Office is playing a key role to ensure that this infrastructure is put in place. Border control posts must be located within the customs controlled area at the point of entry.
To date, my Office has been working in close collaboration with relevant Government Departments, State Agencies and Iarnrod Eireann/Irish Rail on the project milestones that have been achieved to date. This includes securing planning permission from Wexford County Council in November 2021, the development of detailed tender documentation and its subsequent publication on eTenders to the market. The tender has been received and is currently undergoing the tender evaluation stage.
In view of the scale of this project, a Memo for Government will be brought seeking approval prior to the award of the contract. I am confident that my Office will continue to deliver this critical project for these Departments, for the development of Rosslare Europort specifically, for the wider economic development of the region and for Ireland to continue to trade successfully with all its trading partners.
457. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide an update on the Government Data Centre project being led by the OPW. [17117/23]
View answerThe contract for the construction of the new Public Sector Data centre has been placed and works commenced on site in March 2023.
The works are due to be completed in Q2 2025.
458. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide an update on the Military Road project being led by the OPW. [17118/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that substantial completion for the Military Road Project now known as Walter Scott House was achieved on 22nd October 2022. Gardaí have moved into the facility and it is is fully occupied and operational.
459. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide a list of all infrastructure programmes with an annual value in excess of €30 million and of five years or more duration, that in line with the Public Spending Code guidelines require ongoing monitoring and analysis from his Department, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17119/23]
View answerAs Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments. Management and delivery of individual investment projects within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan (NDP) is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister. Each Minister is responsible to deciding on the priority programmes and projects that will be delivered under their remit within the NDP and for setting out the timelines for delivery.
In 2023, over €12 billion is available from the Exchequer for investment in public capital projects, which will provide more schools, homes, hospitals and other pieces of vital infrastructure. This level of expenditure will be pivotal in consolidating the progress already made, and, most importantly, delivering the necessary infrastructure to support our future climate change obligations as well as our social and economic requirements.
On 28 March 2023, the Government were informed of changes to the capital appraisal guidelines arising out of a review of the Public Spending Code undertaken by Government officials. The purpose of the review was to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the key actors within the Public Spending Code and the upcoming Infrastructure Guidelines and, to streamline the process to best match the realities of project development. The threshold for major projects is upgraded from €100 million to €200 million, and these major projects will be subject to DPENDR/Major Projects Advisory Group (MPAG) review at the Preliminary Business Case stage only. Circular 6/23 on Interim Amendments to the Public Spending Code was published by my Department on March 29th setting out the key interim changes to the Public Spending Code. The new Infrastructure Guidelines will be finalised in the coming month with a planned publication in Q2 2023.
In relation to Major Project Advisory Group reviews since its establishment in Q1 2022, all MPAG reviews are published at the following website. There are 4 reviews published in 2022 in relation to major transport, health and urban development projects which are over the €100 million threshold in 2022: www.gov.ie/en/publication/f0694-major-projects-advisory-group/.
The Government is also committed to continue to detail progress on the delivery of the NDP at regular intervals into the future to allow for full transparency on the implementation of Project Ireland 2040. This will be achieved through regular updates of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and map as well as the publication of annual reports and regional reports highlighting Project Ireland 2040 achievements and giving a detailed overview of the public investments that have been made throughout the country.
The latest iterations of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and map, from February 2023, are detailed at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/f828b-myprojectireland-interactive-map/. They contain project updates and the latest timelines for delivery for key NDP projects.
The capital investment tracker provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million. Accompanying the tracker, the myProjectIreland interactive map details projects across the country and provides details on specific projects by county, including smaller investments such as schools and social housing projects. Search facilities also allow citizens to view projects in their regional area, by city, by county or by eircode. The most recent version of the capital tracker and map were published in February 2023.
460. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide additional details on the ongoing review of certain aspect of the Public Spending Code to update the shadow pricing related to the climate targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17120/23]
View answerIreland has committed to achieving ambitious but challenging legally-binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, with key milestones in 2030 and 2050. Therefore, economic appraisals should include an appropriate valuation of the cost that society will bear in dealing with the greenhouse gas emissions any project might give rise to, or the benefits to society of a project that mitigates emissions.
In 2019, my Department reviewed the methodology used to derive the shadow price of carbon and updated the values applied in public sector economic appraisal. However, since 2019, Ireland’s climate targets at both the national level and the EU level have increased significantly in ambition. Therefore, the National Development Plan review committed my Department to revising the shadow price of carbon in the Public Spending Code in light of Ireland's enhanced climate ambition in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021.
My Department is currently in the process of revising the values in the Public Spending Code. At the request of my officials, the Marine and Renewable Energy Institute (MaREI) in UCC have carried out the analysis needed to inform this work. My Department has also liaised with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications throughout the process.
My Department is reaching the final stages of this work. The update will ensure we are pricing emissions appropriately in economic appraisals and that the values in the Public Spending Code align with our climate targets.
