Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 May 2023
135. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which he continues to monitor issues such as public procurement and-or the removal of any other administrative obstructions that might hinder the progress of the National Development Plan; the areas he has identified as central in such issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22333/23]
View answer136. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform those areas of the National Development Plan that have been most successful in achieving their targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22334/23]
View answer137. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which he continues to identify those sectors within the National Development Plan which he sees as being most crucial to achieving its targets in early date; the action taken or pending to expedite various processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22335/23]
View answer138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he has identified areas where the National Development Plan needs to be expedited with consequential benefit to the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22336/23]
View answer140. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent to which he and his Department have identified issues relating to the National Development Plan, with the propensity to accelerate the plan or impede it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22338/23]
View answer143. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the extent of any reforms he might introduce to expedite the delivery of the National Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22341/23]
View answer144. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will identify the most urgently required changes in the delivery of services likely to be needed in the event of an improved performance in the implementation of the NDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22342/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 143 and 144 together.
As 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) are key responsibilities of every Department and Minister.
The NDP delivers total public investment of €165 billion over the period 2021-2030. The renaming and reconstitution of my Department, to specifically include NDP Delivery, brings about a greater emphasis and mandate for the delivery of the NDP. In light of this new role, a review of the support structures and levers available across Government to maximise delivery of projects was undertaken. As a result, a series of actions and reforms were identified as priorities to improve delivery of NDP projects. I secured Government approval in March for six priority actions which are:
• Significant changes to reduce the administrative burden in delivering major capital projects;
• I am now taking a direct role in overseeing delivery of the NDP through chairing the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board;
• Capacity reviews of departments and agencies with significant delivery programmes to be carried out, where appropriate, to ensure that adequate resources for project delivery are in place;
• Additional reforms to the Capital Works Management Framework, which sets out the contracts used for public capital projects;
• Direct reporting to Government on NDP delivery on a quarterly basis throughout 2023 and 2024 will now also take place and
• An independent evaluation of NDP priorities and capacity will be conducted over the coming months.
This package represents a fresh approach to securing delivery as part of my Department's enhanced remit around the NDP. As you know, my Department is responsible for the Public Spending Code (PSC), which sets the value for money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects. As I mentioned earlier, the package of reform actions which I announced in March include significant changes to reduce the administrative burden for Departments. Some specific changes designed to streamline the project lifecycle and approval process include:
• The general threshold for major projects increasing from €100m to €200m, allowing for projects below this limit to progress more speedily through the appraisal and evaluation process.
• The reduction of the number of approval stages prior to implementation from 5 to 3, reducing the administrative burden on Government departments charged with developing and delivering projects.
• The removal of the requirement for a project to prepare a separate Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) at the start of the process. Instead, all the requirements previously required as part of a SAR must now be completed, and incorporated, as part of the Preliminary Business Case (PBC) at the first approval stage.
These changes have already been implemented through Government circular 06/2023. Further appraisal guidance will be published shortly, known as the Infrastructure Guidelines, as part of capital project development, which will supersede the existing Public Spending Code.
I am confident that the combination of the six priority actions above will boost the delivery of the critical infrastructure we need to support a growing economy and higher living standards for those living here. In particular, I believe input of experts on the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board will highlight the key impediments to project delivery and I will work towards delivering mitigating actions to boost project delivery.
In addition, my Department will continue to work closely with the construction sector in order to improve efficiency and enhanced delivery through the Construction Sector Group. Important initiatives have been launched and supported through the Construction Sector Group to increase productivity in the sector. These include the recently established Construction Technology Centre, known as Construct Innovate, to accelerate research and innovation within the sector; the Build Digital Project funded by my Department to support the sector in its transition to digital; the adoption of Building Information Modelling; and an analysis of the cost of residential construction which was recently published.
The Government is also committed to continue to detail 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. All such updates are available on gov.ie/2040.
