Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I will not go back over what I said earlier but I draw a distinction between what can be achieved in other areas such as transport and some areas of education where PPP projects were approved. When dealing with a PPP, whatever about the cost and other arguments which I have gone through, the difference in terms of time and scale is enormous. One need only consider the Whitfield project in Waterford. The people involved came to see me less than two years ago and that facility is fully operational today. They told me at that time they were buying a site. I cite that project as against other schemes as to why we proceed by way of PPPs.

On the question of PPPs and the national development plan, a good oversight of the plan is in place. A unit in the Department of Finance oversees the costs and planning involved in terms cost benefit analysis, value for money issues, strategic environmental assessments and all other related issues. It is a dedicated unit which is efficient and good. It is basically a new unit because of the level of resources involved in spending €6 billion. There is a high level of efficiency in all those areas. Some good people have been recruited who are involved in this work. The cross-departmental Cabinet committee, including the officials, their advisers and others with expertise work closely with it. The unit is a good and competent one.

In the area of education projects, where perhaps ten major projects would normally have been undertaken a year, this year some 1,500 projects are being undertaken including major and minor projects under the summer works scheme. Those involved have geared themselves up; this is happening across the RPA and others are also doing this. However, there are some areas where such projects do not work nearly as effectively, health clearly being one of them and that has been the case for a number of years.

The cross-departmental team works well and the monitoring, evaluation, appraisal guidelines in place are good, tight and efficient. Sometimes one might think the system is working too slowly but in terms of the level of expenditure with which the unit is dealing, and bearing in mind it is taxpayers' money, this is an efficient way of dealing with the national development plan.

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