Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. Like others, I have given my personal submission on the NDP and, indeed, we have collectively contributed through the different committees, such as the climate action, disability and public expenditure committees. It is a very important review and a very important opportunity to think in a deep way about how we shape the places and the services within Ireland in the future. I am not going to repeat all of the points in my submission and I will just go to the five areas that the Minister has signalled are going to be important to her and her Department in the review.

I believe the level of public investment will need to be adjusted upwards. The signals from the IMF are telling us we need to spend more and the aim is to have borrowing of 1% of GDP, if needed. The EU is talking about stimulus and a general recognition that we are at a moment when stimulus is needed, advised and also very possible. There are opportunities at the moment which are somewhat unique. For example, in the temporary suspension of the EU fiscal compact rules, we have an opportunity to front-load some projects off-balance sheet in a new and different way to deliver very ambitious and early projects in terms of our public services and capital infrastructure. There are dedicated recovery and resilience, just transition and Brexit funds. Indeed, I would encourage the potential use of a multi-fund approach because I know that is working well in other countries where there is a multi-fund approach to different projects that seek to secure funding. In addition, of course, borrowing is more available and available at a lower rate than previously.

I say this in a way that is thought-through and careful, but it is around the responsibility to make sure we make the best of the opportunities that are there now to create things that will pay dividends for many decades to come. This is still about investment, but about investment in a way that we perhaps could not do previously, and it is important that we are ambitious about that.

The second and third points concern the share of capital expenditure across Departments and the delivery of policy priorities in the programme for Government. The share will need to be adjusted if we are to meet commitments, for example, the commitments on the ratio of public transport to private transport. That might require a serious increase in what we spend on public transport so that we look to more and new opportunities. In terms of other policy opportunities, it is important with climate action that we have a joined-up approach and that we make use of the tools that are available such as the environmental impact assessment mechanisms and EU directives in an effective way to make sure not only that we have projects to deliver climate action but that all of our development projects are taking us forward in terms of climate action, not backwards. That thought-through approach is important.

In terms of retrofitting, we want to raise our level of ambition, and I think that is an opportunity in terms of employment as well. Other issues have emerged during the past year of Covid, where we have seen, for example, the need for better care infrastructure in Ireland. As Senator Kyne said, there is the issue of community spaces, indoor and outdoor, and the importance of access to that kind of shared public space in communities across Ireland.

The fourth area concerns regional balance and compact growth. Regional balance is crucial. I hope we have ambitious public transport in rural Ireland, as well as in urban Ireland. In terms of compact growth, it is important that is liveable compact growth and that we look to the issues of liveability and make sure families can live in our city centres. That is important in terms of the sustainable development goals, in particular SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities. I feel there are very useful tools and examples there. It is very important that the NDP interacts in a constructive way with local development plans and local representatives.

Finally, we come to governance.Governance is absolutely the key. I really welcome hearing about the major projects advisory group and that recognition that more thought earlier in the process leads to better outcomes. I suggest, however, that we need to follow through by making sure we empower all the decision makers along the way to put in more thought earlier in the process. The major projects advisory group is a really positive step but we must make sure that procurement officers and contracting officers are thinking about quality.

That is why I hope the Government will support my legislation and will send a signal by supporting my Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021 this Friday, which will make it clear that when we think about public spending, we think about quality and price. That has happened successfully in the Netherlands, where they have seen their capital infrastructure being delivered on time, to a higher quality and without significant additional costs because they ask for all the information up front and at the beginning level. My Bill will also ask the Minister, and I will really make this important, to make sure that we set a minimum target of 50% quality on projects over the EU public works threshold of €5.35 million. We have seen what happens when we let lowball bids win or when we deal with supplementary claims after the fact. The national children's hospital was 75% price and only 25% quality. I am hoping the Minister will support my Bill as part of the reform and as a signal of commitment to the reform of governance to make sure we get more from our public spending, do more with our public money and get better capital infrastructure for all our citizens across this country.