Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 May 2023
26. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide an update on the recent Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22169/23]
View answerI was delighted to chair the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board on May 2nd. I have taken the step of personally chairing this Board to drive project delivery for the National Development Plan (NDP) over its lifetime. The membership of the new Board comprises myself as Chair; Secretary General, Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform; Secretary General, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; Secretary General, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; along with five external members of the Board.
At the first meeting of the Board I set out the importance of delivering the NDP for the future prosperity of the country, and to achieve critical social and environmental goals. I also highlighted the importance of having an external view on the progress of Government in bringing further insights to the consideration of policy challenges. I requested that members submit to the Secretariat of the Board their views on the constraints holding back delivery of the National Development Plan (NDP). The constraints identified will be the focus of the next meetings of the Board. I also requested that the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) give a presentation at the next meeting on the work they are doing in relation to boosting the skills capacity in the construction sector.
The terms of reference for the Board were agreed at its first meeting. At the meeting I signalled that the key term of reference for this Board was to “Identify system wide responses to resolve any significant cross-cutting issues arising from National Development Plan (NDP) and National Planning Framework (NPF) implementation.” I also indicated that there may have to be more meetings of the Board than those planned quarterly in view of the importance of advancing NDP delivery.
At future meetings Sectoral Secretaries General/Heads of Office will be invited to appear before the group to highlight efforts to increase delivery. In addition, there will be increased focus on addressing the constraints that are impeding NDP delivery including fixing the planning challenges, boosting the skills offering in the construction sector and boosting construction sector productivity.
My chairing of the Delivery Board is part of a wider suite of significant actions aimed at enhancing project delivery in the NDP. The recent renaming and reconstitution of my Department, to specifically include NDP Delivery, brought 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 and programmes. I secured government approval for that package of measures on 29 March. Those other actions being advanced to support delivery include:
• Significant changes to reduce the administrative burden in delivering major capital projects;
• 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.
I am confident that the combination of these 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. I look forward to working with all the Board members over the coming months to make that ambition a reality.
