Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I do not think anybody will bring back a property tax if that is what the Deputy is asking. Deputy Rabbitte raised the issue of public private partnerships. I reported to the House, in answer to him some months ago, that the process of identifying projects in the right categories on the capital programme and getting sufficient people who were prepared to go through the PPP process has been achieved. We did not have the expertise in many areas within the system. The Minister for Finance's initiative aims to accelerate delivery of PPPs in the areas identified and advises on the correct areas for key capital infrastructural projects in central Government areas. The new centre for enterprise is in the National Development Finance Agency. Its role has expanded to include procurement functions on behalf of Departments in addition to its existing role. Up to now it acted as an adviser to Departments on public private partnerships. It has now taken over the procurement function for Departments. The agency has commenced the new activity on an interim non-statutory basis.

The Department of Finance and its legal advisers, in consultation with the National Development Finance Agency, will bring forward amendments shortly to amend the legislation. The Minister has strengthened the board. The centre will have the skills and capacity required to support the procurement of key infrastructural projects in the central Government area. It has decided to work on three Departments to start, Education and Science, Health and Children and Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This should improve the deal flow of PPP projects in those three areas. The view is that it should stay with those three Departments for some considerable time. Obviously they are three major Departments. Ministers will continue to be responsible for the assessment of projects, including the decision to procure the project, but the National Development Finance Agency's centre for expertise will be responsible for procuring the projects within the parameters given to it and bring it all the way up to turn-key stage. This is a big change following much trial and error in some of these areas. The National Development Finance Agency has been able to bring some very good people into the process to deal with these large-scale projects.

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