Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 20 June 2019

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

9:00 am

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will move on. The next item relates to Teagasc. The committee recommended that Teagasc ensures procurement processes are complied with, and that has been accepted in full. We spotted an issue, and that has been accepted.

The next recommendation states:

The committee recommends that a more sustainable method for establishing funds for both (a) infrastructural maintenance and (b) longer term capital projects be developed by Teagasc, in consultation with relevant Government Departments.

The Minister has accepted that, but he also notes that there is an annual Estimates process, so that is an issue for long-term planning as the Estimates are an annual process. However, the Department accepts what we are saying.

We then move on to the Office of Public Works, OPW. We made a recommendation relating to the new headquarters for the Department of Health, the Miesian Plaza, that there be more engagement and consultation with the staff of any public body. We felt adequate consultation between the OPW and the Department of Health did not occur in this case. That is fully accepted and the Minister has informed us that the OPW intends to pilot a changed management consultancy approach for single, large-scale relocation programmes, which will improve the lines of communication. That is good.Recommendation 8 also deals with the Miesian Plaza and the fact that there was an overpayment of €10 million due to the measurements used in the project. The OPW accepts that recommendation and the Minister informs us that an independent review of all the final copies of all leases against what was originally agreed in the original terms prior to the lease agreement will be implemented, and has already been implemented in new leases.

We will move on to the next recommendation, which states:

The Committee recommends that the development of business cases by the Office of Public Works in relation to major projects include a robust analysis of key options and alternatives, plus associated costs, as required under the public spending code.

That is accepted. The OPW further states that, as part of the sanction process, the technical aspects of their cost effectiveness analyses were reviewed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform prior to sanction being given. On the issue of leasing properties versus purchasing them, the OPW has carried out detailed assessments of two recent major projects. That matter is being examined and it has started looking at the long-term benefits of buying or building versus leasing. It is looking at that, but that is something the Oireachtas is always going to have to keep a regular eye on in future, because it is not a once-off issue.

Next, we recommended that legislation should be implemented on a timely matter-----

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