Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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668. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the way in which the capital investment in national cultural institutions promised under Project Ireland 2040 will be managed; the person or body which will manage same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43496/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Capital projects undertaken by bodies under the aegis of my Department are appraised, planned, designed, implemented and evaluated in line with the Public Spending Code and best practice guidance outlined in the Capital Works Management Framework published by the Office of Government Procurement.

Under the Public Spending Code, the public body with appraising, planning and managing a public investment project, including seeking and receiving the necessary approvals, is considered the sponsoring agency. Each National Cultural Institution (NCI) will be considered to be the sponsoring agency for their individual investment project. Under the Code, the public body with the responsibility for granting approvals at each stage of the project life-cycle and for dispersing public monies for the project is the sanctioning authority. My Department is, in the first instance, the sanctioning authority for all capital expenditure on the NCIs as part of Project Ireland 2040.

Given their expertise and the vital role that they play as stewards of many of the buildings that house our NCIs, the Office of Public Works (OPW) will act as the contracting authority in a number of the capital projects. For example, the OPW are fulfilling the role of contracting authority in the on-going project currently being undertaken the National Library of Ireland.

To ensure that all projects under the NCI programme are delivered effectively, and in recognition of the important partnership between the NCI and the OPW, tripartite governance arrangements are put in place to facilitate the progression of the project through the project life-cycle. These align closely with the governance and oversight arrangements set out in the Public Spending Code.