Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 May 2023
23. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the most salient issues to be addressed to bring about a more expeditious delivery of the National Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21472/23]
View answerThe Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform is 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.
The NDP delivers total public investment of €165 billion over the period 2021-2030. The renaming and reconstitution of the Minister’s 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. The Minister secured Government approval for that package of measures in March which include:
• Significant changes to reduce the administrative burden in delivering major capital projects;
• The Minister is 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 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.
In addition, the Minister’s Department will continue to work closely with the construction sector through the Construction Sector Group to improve productivity and delivery capacity. Important initiatives have been launched and supported through the Construction Sector Group in recent years including the Build Digital Project to digitise the sector, Construct Innovate to provide cutting edge research, and the Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction to showcase innovative building techniques.
The Minister is confident that the combination of all these actions will support the delivery of the critical infrastructure we need to support a growing economy and higher living standards for those living here. 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.
