Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
396. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if there has been any changes/additions/deletions to the National Development Plan since its launch on 4 October 2021. [27082/23]
View answerAs Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, and Reform I am 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. 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.
Over the lifetime of this NDP out to 2030, the government is investing €165 billion in new and upgraded infrastructure that will meet the needs of our growing population. This year alone over €12 billion will be invested from the Exchequer in vital infrastructure projects. The NDP includes agreed Exchequer allocations for each Department for a five year period (2021 to 2025) and the overall capital expenditure ceilings out to 2030. The capital expenditure ceilings take account of the overall capability of the construction sector to deliver on the NDP and of the appropriate share of national income being devoted to infrastructure. At 5% of GNI* at 2021 estimates, our NDP investment is well above the recent EU average of 3% of national income. This represents a solid pipeline of activity that will have a transformative impact on employment opportunities, economic development and regional growth to support our growing population through the provision of new homes, schools, roads and hospitals.
However, 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 like housing, health and climate. The renaming and reconstitution of my Department as the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR), to specifically include NDP Delivery, 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 will now also take place and
• An independent evaluation of NDP priorities and capacity will be conducted over the coming months.
This package represents a fresh approach to securing delivery as part of my Department’s enhanced remit around the NDP.
In summary, there have been no changes to high-level priorities in the NDP since its publication in 2021. However, 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 that I have announced will boost the delivery of the critical infrastructure needed to support a growing economy and to secure higher living standards for those living here.
