Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are three different areas of consideration. The first is the question of how, within the existing structure and resources, we can get to a point at which we are not just looking at how we manage and even contain expenditure within a given year but also how that expenditure translates into the delivery of a small number of very important capital projects for the Government. At this stage, I do not believe getting to that point will require a significant resource change. I say that because when I look at how Vote 11 is set up, so much of it goes towards the Vote teams, the staff of which have an incredible understanding of the operation of the Departments they engage with and monitor.

Second is the work the Department already has under way regarding how we can put an additional resource against how we deliver the NRRP and the Brexit adjustment reserve fund. When we are looking at additional resource, we are looking also at the question of whether a very small number of State bodies will need additional support within the year to deliver against the expectations the Government has of them.

The third area I would look at is how we can support the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, and the Office of Government Procurement in our procurement strategy for the year. Again, as with the first point, I do not believe this will of itself involve a huge amount of additional resource, but it will involve looking at how we use the existing resource in a different way.