Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 27 Feb 2001

Vol. 531 No. 3

Written Answers. - National Development Plan.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

126 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will state for that section of the national development plan for which her Department has responsibility of implementation, the relevant sections and division of the EU Commission which are involved in assisting and or monitoring the implementation of aspects of the plan with her Department; the name of the senior EU official with responsibility for that role; the number of meetings that have taken place since the publication of the plan between officials of her Department and the relevant officials of the EU Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5605/01]

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

128 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the aspect of the national development plan for which her Department has responsibility; the precise number of projects which are a part of that section of the plan for which her Department has responsibility; the number of personnel in her Department who are working full-time and part-time on the plan; their grade within the Civil Service; the budgeted cost for each project; the timetable for its implementation; the present stage which it is at; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5636/01]

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

129 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the number of groups, both statutory and non-statutory but excluding local authorities with which her Department is in regular contact or consultation in respect of the implementation of that section of the national development plan for which her Department has responsibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5655/01]

Minister for Public Enterprise (Mrs. O'Rourke):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 128 and 129 together.

My Department has overall responsibility for the public transport, regional airports, and energy and communications measures in the national development plan. However, the individual projects are being implemented by agencies and companies in the relevant sectors. The broad nature of my Department's responsibility makes it difficult to give very precise responses to the questions.

In relation to the EU Commission involvement, for example, there is ongoing and regular contact with senior officials in a number of directorates. These would include but not be limited to the Directorate General for Regional Policy and also the Directorate General for Transport and Energy. Similarly, a very substantial proportion of staff at all levels within the Department, while not working exclusively with national development plan programmes are involved in overseeing or assisting the implementation of these projects. Staff, usually at principal officer level, also participate in the formal monitoring committees that are chaired by either the Department of Finance or the Department of Environment and Local Government.

My Department also consults with or is in regular contact with a wide range of groups in relation to the national development plan. These range from other Department and companies involved in implementing projects to local interest groups. It also includes a large number of agencies, both national and regional, including the full range of regional authorities, development boards, chambers of commerce and other relevant organisations.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

127 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will state for that section of the national development plan for which she has responsibility for its implementation, the number of consultants who have been hired by her Department to assist with the design or implementation of the plan; the projects upon which they are engaged; the cost of those projects; the approximate professional fee cost which the consultants will be charging her Department on completion of the consultancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5620/01]

Minister for Public Enterprise (Mrs. O'Rourke):

The information sought by the Deputy is as follows. In July 2000 my Department engaged a consortium comprising Masons Solicitors, Booz-Allen Hamilton and Babtie Group to design and conduct the competition to select an operator for light rail services in Dublin. The consortium will receive a maximum fee of £1,254,668 for this project, to be completed in October 2001. Consultants, Currie and Brown in conjunction with Ernst and Young have been contracted, at a cost of £94,100, to develop a project management system for the public transport investment programme of £2.2 billion.

My Department has hired Norcontel (Ireland) Ltd., to assist in the implementation of the e-commerce and communications projects of the national development plan costing approximately £155 million comprising of public and private funds. Norcontel (Ireland) Ltd., will receive a maximum fee of £186,150 over a two year period in this regard.

Questions Nos. 128 and 129 answered with Question No. 126.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

130 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will outline, in respect of that section of the national development plan for which her Department has responsibility, the number of potential public-private partnerships that have been identified; the number that are under active consideration; the name, location and potential cost of such projects; if any exchange of letters has taken place; if any other initial firm commitment has been entered into with prospective private providers; the approximate capital value of all projects so identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5681/01]

Minister for Public Enterprise (Mrs. O'Rourke):

A PPP approach is being taken to the operation of the Luas light rail system, due to commence revenue services in 2003. The competition for the award of the operating franchise began in December 2000 and the successful bidder will be known by Autumn 2001. The financial aspects of the contract will be negotiated as part of the competition process and the overriding consideration will be to ensure that the outcome of the process yields best value for money for the State and for the travelling public.

Although not within the national development plan, the Government has also approved, in principle, the development, on a PPP basis, of a metro system for Dublin. The metro is one of the elements contained in the Dublin Transportation Office strategy for 2000-16. The DTO has also recommended a PPP approach to a number of the rail-based proposals in the strategy.

To ensure that these proposals are given sufficient focus, I propose to establish a railway procurement agency whose responsibility will be the procurement of new railway infrastructure. I propose to introduce the Bill providing for the establishment of the new agency to the Oireachtas in the coming weeks. The Bill will provide that the agency can procure rail infrastructure through the PPP approach.