Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I have two brief questions. What is the Minister's response to the concerns expressed by IBEC of an over-dependence on private investment to make up the Government's target of 5% of GNP spending on capital investment and infrastructure? Disappointment has been expressed at the failure of PPPs to develop in the manner anticipated. Many of the benefits of innovation, expertise and skills that are available in the private sector have not been capitalised upon because of the over-prescriptive nature of Departments and the manner in which environmental impact assessments are carried out prior to the involvement of the contractor. Does the Minister intend to deal with those problems in order to capture more of the potential benefits of PPPs?

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