The Public Spending Code has become a major blockage in the delivery of Public Infrastructure in Ireland.
The Public Spending Cost sets out the various approval gateways that a project must go through. The code is making it inordinately difficult to deliver projects in a timely manner. The cost creates a raft of paperwork and multiple approvals.
“The other difficulty is that every Government Department have different approval processes. For example, ITT have 6 approval gateways, NTA have 7 approval gateways Department of Sport have 9 gateways whilst the Department of Housing has 4 gateways”.
“This demonstrates that there is no standardisation in the approval process leading to frustration and delays with progress and pressure on local Authorities and other contacting authorities to deliver projects”.
It ties up scarce technical staff and consultants time in a never-ending cycle of reports and paperwork.
“Presently most Capital Projects take in excess of 7 years to bring to construction from the date of inception of the project”.
The Public Service Code has become a stumbling block to progressing development and it needs to be overhauled as a matter of urgency.
“We have become a nation of approvals and processes, it seems that the Public Spending Code has prioritised paperwork over progress on works”.
“The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform needs to sort out this problem as we are spending too much time and money on approvals and not enough of time and money getting projects done on site”.