Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her question. The Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform, and the Department are responsible for the public spending code which sets the value-for-money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing Exchequer-funded capital projects. In March this year, the Minister informed the Government of a package of significant actions aimed at enhancing project delivery under the National Development Plan, NDP. The package represents a fresh approach to securing delivery as part of the Department's enhanced remit around the NDP. The actions include significant changes to reduce the administrative burden for Departments and public bodies developing capital projects.

Some specific changes designed to streamline the project life cycle and approval process include: an increase in the general threshold for major projects from €100 million to €200 million, allowing for projects below this limit to progress more speedily through the appraisal and evaluation process; a reduction of the number of approval stages prior to implementation from five to three, reducing the administrative burden on Departments charged with developing and delivering projects; and the removal of the requirement for a project to prepare a separate strategic assessment report, SAR, at the start of the process. Instead, all the requirements previously required as part of a SAR must now be completed and incorporated as part of the preliminary business case at the first approval stage.

These changes have already been implemented through Government circular 06/2023. Further appraisal guidance will be published shortly, known as the infrastructure guidelines, as part of the capital project development that will replace the existing public spending code.

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