Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 October 2023
160. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the degree to which he expects all Government projects being delivered under the national development plan to continue to be completed on time and within budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47222/23]
View answer164. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will provide an update on the extent to which he expects the various targets in Project Ireland 2040 to be achieved on time and within budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47227/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 164 together.
The NDP will deliver total public investment of €165 billion over the period 2021-2030 and as Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I have responsibility 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.
However, the Government and I acknowledge that the significant investment under the NDP does not come without delivery challenges. As you know, delivery of some NDP projects has been adversely impacted over the past three years as a result of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. I am also acutely aware of the challenges that the construction industry has faced in terms of material price inflation, labour supply constraints, and supply chain disruption.
Nevertheless, no-one is any doubt that the need to ensure timely project delivery must be part of the Government’s focus to respond effectively to the pressing challenges of our time, particularly in areas such as housing, health and climate. The renaming of my Department as the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR), has 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, including reducing the administrative burden on Departments charged with infrastructure delivery. Earlier this year, I secured Government approval 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 and
• An independent evaluation of NDP priorities and capacity.
I am confident that the combination of the six priority actions 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. These reforms, alongside ongoing engagement with the construction sector regarding capacity, will help ensure the effective delivery of Project Ireland 2040 on time and on budget.
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.
