Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My particular concern at the moment is that we have a number of complicated public goods or projects requiring a high level of skill that we need to deliver through the public service.

I have seen within the private sector a growing appetite in also delivering intensive and complex projects. What is different for us now is we are not only competing for, for example, the engineers to do that work within the private sector in Ireland but also within the private sector across Europe. Large companies, the skills and staff of which we need to deliver projects here, are looking at attractive big projects taking place across Europe and private sector projects within Ireland, and that is all going into the mix in the tendering decisions they make. That is happening quickly now. For example, across Europe we will see big changes in how other countries respond to the climate change agenda. That will involve complex, intensive projects. Those needed to do that work are the same people we need to deliver projects in our country. That is a development that is happening more quickly than I thought likely across 2018.