Written answers

Thursday, 21 April 2005

Department of Finance

Departmental Agencies

5:00 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of executive staff who were employed on a full or part-time basis by the National Development Finance Agency each year since it was established; if he will list all the projects on which the agency has given an opinion; the projects currently referred to the agency for an opinion and currently under consideration; the value of each project; the consultants and advisers used by the agency to date; the consultancy studies and reports completed to date and in progress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12528/05]

Photo of Brian CowenBrian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The role of the National Development Finance Agency, NDFA, is to advise Departments about the optimal means of financing the cost of capital projects in order to achieve value for money, whether procured through a PPP approach or through traditional procurement. Departments and agencies who are decision making bodies are obliged to seek the advice of the NDFA for all capital projects or grouped projects valued in excess of €20 million. For projects valued under that amount the advice of the agency may be sought but is not obligatory. The NDFA does not have a project approval role. The functions of the NDFA, which was established on 1 January 2003, are performed through the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, under section 11 of the National Development Finance Agency Act 2002. The NTMA has 90 full-time employees. I am advised by the NDFA that under section 11(1)(a) of the Act the NTMA allocated the following full time staff to the NDFA since its inception.

Year No. of executive staff allocated
1 January 2003 2
1 January 2004 5
1 January 2005 5
currently 7

The NTMA allocates resources to the NDFA business area as deemed necessary. In addition to the full-time employees allocated to the NDFA, support staff are used on a temporary basis as required from other parts of the NTMA, including its information technology, security, legal, financial control and funding and debt management units.

I am advised by the NDFA that since 2003 the following projects requiring an opinion from the NDFA have reached financial or contractual close. There is also one tourism project for Clare County Council, on which the NDFA has issued an opinion, and financial close is expected at end of April 2005. Further details including the value or cost of the various projects are a matter for the relevant State authorities responsible for procuring the projects.

Project State authority
Transport — Roads
Dundalk Western Bypass National Roads Authority
Kilcock to Kinnegad National Roads Authority
Rathcormac and Fermoy Bypass National Roads Authority
Transport — Rail
Luas Credit Facility Railway Procurement Agency
Housing
Fatima Mansions Dublin City Council
Local Authority Loans
Kildare County Council Offices Kildare County Council
Cork County Council Offices Cork County Council
Cork City Council Offices and Drainage Cork City Council
North Tipperary County Council Offices North Tipperary County Council
Broadband Technology
Metropolitan Area Network Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources

I am advised that 80 projects are currently referred to the NDFA for advice at varying stages of the appraisal and procurement process. Some of these projects are yet to be deemed live as they are pipeline projects or still undergoing assessment and accordingly are not listed. I understand that the NDFA is awaiting formal instruction from the relevant sponsoring Department. Current projects on which ongoing advice is provided by the NDFA are included in the following list.

Project
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
South Eastern Region Waste Integrated Waste Management Infrastructure Waste
Waterford County Council Grouped towns and villages Sewerage Scheme Water
Dublin City Council — Dublin Waste to Energy Waste
Wicklow County Council — Greystones Marina Harbour
Fingal County Council — Landfill Waste
Dublin City Council — O'Devaney Gardens Social, Affordable and Private Housing
Dublin City Council — Fatima Mansions Social, Affordable and Private Housing
Dublin City Council — Jamestown Road Affordable Housing
Dublin City Council — Infirmary Road Affordable Housing
Dublin City Council — St. Michael's Estate Social, Affordable and Private Housing
Dublin City Council East Link Bridge
Sligo Borough Council — Ballinode Social, Affordable and Private Housing
Meath County Council New Headquarters
Clare County Council New Headquarters
Cork County Council Loan Finance, Waste Project
Department of Transport
(i) National Roads Authority
N25 Waterford Bypass Road
N3 Cavan to Dublin, Clonee to Kells Road
N7 Limerick Southern Ring Road Phase 2 Road
(ii) Railway Procurement Agency
Luas Line extension
Integrated ticketing Integrated Ticketing
(iii) CIE
Financing Rolling Stock
Department of Education and Science
Dublin Institute of Technology Relocation to Grangegorman
Cork School of Music Music School
UCD Relocation from Earlsfort Terrace Possible deal on site
Department of Health and Children
Southern Health Board Community Nursing Units
Eastern Regional Health Board Community Nursing Units
Eastern Regional Health Board — Central Mental Hospital Hospital relocation
Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources
Digital Hub Development of site
Office of Public Works
Decentralisation Acquisition of offices
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Courts Service — Criminal Courts Complex New buildings
Courts Service — Programme of new court houses New buildings
Prisons Service — Mountjoy Prison relocation New Prison
Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
National Conference Centre Provision of building
Lansdowne Road — State funding component Reconstruction

I am advised that the NDFA only employs financial advisers to assist on high value projects where it is deemed necessary to have additional resources to help bring the project to financial close in a timely manner. For the criminal courts complex and the national conference centre, KPMG and Farrell Grant Sparks were appointed by NDFA on this basis following tender competitions. The main work of the financial advisers is to aid in the calculation of the public sector benchmark and the evaluation of bids.

Following the establishment of the NDFA my Department advised all Departments that State authorities were to seek the advice of the agency on the best financing approach for projects. However, where a Department, State authority or agency had employed financial consultants to provide advice for an individual project or a programme of projects these arrangements would be honoured. The NDFA where requested has also worked with those authorities and their advisers to help assess the best value for money for the Exchequer. The NDFA has not conducted any formal consultancy studies or reports to date.

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