Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 October 2023
154. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the performance in relation to timely and value-for-money delivery of the national development plan to date against the revised NDP adopted when the Government came to power; the overspend or underspend involved to date; the steps being taken to expedite the delivery of the plan in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47086/23]
View answer155. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the discussions he has had with Ministers in relation to the non-delivery of NDP projects to date; the result of these discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47087/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 155 together.
As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level. The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan (NDP), rests with the individual sponsoring Department in each case. Each Minister is responsible for 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.
The NDP published in October 2021 provides a detailed and positive vision for Ireland out to 2030 and delivers total public investment of €165 billion over the period 2021-2030. The NDP establishes the Government’s over-arching investment framework and broad direction for investment priorities for this decade.
In 2023, over €12 billion will be made 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 infrastructure to support our future climate, social and economic requirements.
The Government will 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 and giving a detailed overview of the public investments which have been made throughout the country.
Capital projects can go under or over profile for any number of reasons, 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.
Significant changes to reduce the administrative burden for Departments and public bodies developing capital projects 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, through measures to streamline the Public Spending Code (to become the Infrastructure Guidelines);
• 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.
This package represents a fresh approach to securing delivery as part of my Department’s enhanced remit around the NDP.
In summary, my focus on supporting and streamlining the delivery of NDP projects in a timely manner has been reinforced, while still ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. I am confident that the significant reforms will boost the delivery of the critical infrastructure needed to support a growing economy and to secure higher living standards for those living here.
