Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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188. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which he expects the various targets in Project Ireland 2040 to be achieved on time and within budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2853/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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189. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which he expects Project Ireland 2040 infrastructural projects to be met in full given the necessity to ensure necessary investment in vital areas of infrastructure affecting connectivity in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2854/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 188 and 189 together.

The National Development Plan (NDP) was published on 4^thOctober 2021, committing to an overall investment of €165 billion in the years from 2021 to 2030.

It is important to acknowledge that the majority of public investment projects are delivered on budget and on time and there is a high level of professionalism across the sectors. On the specific question of connectivity, as an island, continued investment in our port and airport connections to the UK, the EU and the rest of the world, is integral to underpinning international competitiveness. It is also central to responding to the challenges as well as the opportunities arising from Brexit. 

The relevant sectoral strategies here are the National Aviation Policy, the National Ports Policy and the Telecommunications chapter of the National Marine Planning Framework which relates to international telecommunications connectivity. These strategies play a critical role in identifying the goals and priorities for the sector and are therefore critical in informing the investment projects set out in the NDP.  

The Projects and Programmes Tracker was also updated amongst other publications with the launch of the NDP; this provides detailed information about the progress made on the implementation of Government’s investment priorities under Project Ireland 2040, including in relation to connectivity.  the tracker is available on gov.ie/2040.

Reforms are ongoing in governance and broader capability to help ensure successful delivery of Project Ireland 2040 - these reforms are set out in more detail here -

- The Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board, comprises Secretaries General of the major capital spending department and oversees the delivery of the NDP. The Delivery Board will be extended shortly with up to 5 new members to bring additional expert knowledge, independent and regional perspectives, and an enhanced challenge function.

- Departments, Agencies and Public Bodies are constantly seeking to ensure that they have the necessary resources in place in terms of staff, structures and skills to deliver on their commitments. There are a number of ongoing measures which seek to further develop the capacity of the public sector over the coming period and ensure the effective delivery of the NDP. These include:

- ongoing work by the Commercial Skills Academy in the Office of Government Procurement

- the establishment of the Public Infrastructure Network (the InfraNet) for those involved in capital project delivery;

- expansion of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES); 

- a range of reforms in the planning area including the establishment of a new Division of the High Court dealing with planning and environmental issues and 

- the commissioning of the Supporting Excellence report through the EU Structural Reform Support Programme to review the capability of the public service to deliver the capital programme. On foot of one of the recommendations in that report, my Department convened an Action Team comprising of internal/external experts to tailor and set out a roadmap for implementation of the proposed solutions in more detail. The Supporting Excellence Action Team published their report alongside the National Development Plan 2021-30. The Action Team’s report includes 34 specific actions aimed at supporting excellence in boosting capability in individual sectors; from the centre, and improving co-ordination and guidance to support excellence on a system wide basis. The implementation of the 34 actions in 2021 is being overseen by a Supporting Excellence Leadership Group.  

The Public Spending Code (PSC) sets the value for money requirements and guidance for evaluating, planning and managing capital projects. Management and delivery of investment projects and public services within allocation and the national frameworks is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister. 

The update of the Public Spending Code in 2019 combined with lessons learned from domestic projects and international best practice highlighted the need for more structured scrutiny of major public investment projects, particularly in the areas of planned delivery, costings and risk. This is to ensure that Government is making decisions with a full picture of the proposal, its costs, risks and benefits.

In order to achieve this, my Department has introduced two key reforms:

- The introduction of an External Assurance Process (EAP) to provide independent project scrutiny at key decision stages. The EAP for major public capital projects (projects which cost in excess of €100m) will focus on issues such as cost, risk and ability to deliver, at two key points in the project lifecycle, Decision Gate 1 (Approval in Principle) and Decision Gate 2 (Pre-Tender Approval).

-A new Major Projects Advisory Group (MPAG) has been established to further strengthen project management. As a prerequisite to seeking Government approval for projects at the relevant decision gates, project proposals and external reviews will be scrutinised by the MPAG in advance of the decision to proceed. The new arrangements bring Ireland into line with leading international performers and meet a recommendation of the IMF’s Public Investment Management Assessment of Ireland.

These reforms, alongside ongoing engagement with the construction sector regarding capacity and innovation, will help ensure the effective delivery of Project Ireland 2040 on time and on budget.