Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

It will underpin the PPP approach to the delivery of infrastructure and will centralise commercial, financial and legal expertise, reducing dependence on external consultants with consequent cost savings to the State. What more can we do? How could one do it better? How are we to get rid of the delay caused by tendering for consultancies, going through the interview process, advertising and making the decision? The consultants must then decide how to handle the project and then there is more advertising for the tenders. This will all be streamlined by this new agency.

The NDFA will help to maximise value for money for the Exchequer by clearly identifying the best financing packages and applying commercial standards in evaluating financial risk and costs for each project. In addition, when the NDFA is able to borrow at better rates than the private sector, less State subvention may be required for capital projects. It can look at the expertise of the NTMA and the international financial marketplace and see where opportunities exist. It will see the mobility of currencies across the world and be able to make recommendations.