Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will revise the terms of Circular SHIP 2009/01 to ensure continuance of private sector involvement in the management of social housing investment programme projects; if his attention has been drawn to the adverse impact on regeneration projects of the failure to involve private architects who have been involved in their original planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35723/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The primary purpose of Circular SHIP 2009/01 is to ensure that construction related professional services required under the Social Housing Investment Programme are provided in an efficient and effective manner. The circular does not preclude private sector involvement in the provision of such services and I do not believe it will result in adverse effects for regeneration projects.

The circular provides that where construction-related professional services are available in-house or on a shared service basis, local authorities should undertake the work from within their own resources. Where a local authority does not have the necessary expertise available to it in this way, the circular provides that it should in the first instance engage with the National Building Agency (NBA), who may have such expertise available itself or will be in a position to procure it on the local authority's behalf from the private sector.

In so far as the potential role of the NBA is concerned, this Agency has built up a level of expertise in public sector work and has traditionally provided a range of services to housing authorities including planning, design and management services for projects. It is not expected that the overall scale of this involvement will increase; what is envisaged is that the NBA will take on additional responsibilities in the area of public procurement where it will commission private sector professional services, as required, on behalf of local authorities. It is considered that this will enhance the approach to procurement, through the NBA's further development of its expertise in this area, and assist local authorities in complying with procurement requirements and in the overall efficient delivery of the social housing programme. Over time, it is anticipated that the NBA will establish frameworks of private sector consultants on a regional basis, which will increase purchasing power and reduce administrative costs for all local authorities, while availing of the expertise available in the private sector in a cost effective manner.