Proposal for a new Department of Infrastructure

marno21

https://www.businesspost.ie/news/simon-harris-backs-business-leaders-in-call-for-infrastructure-minister/

Simon Harris is proposing to make the creation of a Department of Infrastructure part of Fine Gael's next election manifesto.

Would be a very meritorious idea given the commonality of delivery issues across Government.

Pete_Cavan

Would be interesting to see what such a department would consist of. There is already a Department of Transport but it currently has a shared minister also overseeing Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Transport already covers a lot of what could be considered for the Department of Infrastructure (Roads, Public Transport, Maritime, Aviation, etc.) but also includes things which aren't Infrastructure (Coast Guard, Air Accident Investigation, Motor Tax, etc.).

The big item which faces the same problems in terms of delivery as infrastructure and is a similar constraint on the economy is housing. That could potentially be split from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and put into Infrastructure.

Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications also contains a large element of what could be considered for Infrastructure. Plus NDP Delivery, which is largely infrastructure delivery, is under Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058360693/proposal-for-a-new-department-of-infrastructure

What would it do? Take over the planning system?

Rail, roads, electricity grid, water, ABP, transport - a long list.

Seth Brundle

Would the OPW be brought in under this department?

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122406424#Comment_122406424

Apart from Garda stations, I don't think the OPW portfolio could be considered infrastructure.

csirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122406496#Comment_122406496

OPW owns/leases the vast majority of State buildings in all central government sectors.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058360693/proposal-for-a-new-department-of-infrastructure

Simon Harris didn't propose this though - Michael OLeary did and Harris jumped on the bandwagon.

Its a long overdue proposition mind, but Harris deserves little credit for this.

Augme

Is there any developed policy proposal on this? As above, sounds like a election cote getting policy that very likely hasn't been properly thought out at all.

Sam Russell

It would make sense to me if it came under the Dept of Expenditure.

An awful lot of money has been spent of infrastructure plans that never proceeded, like M20 and Metro North - both getting the nod from ABP.

It would hopefully cut down such activity and such a waste of funds.

Ireland trains

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122408189#Comment_122408189

You can’t really link the structure of departments to the cancelling of these projects - the country was virtually bankrupt.

The department for expenditure is already quite a large department.

The danger of a department for infrastructure is that it could end up being too large, and hence ineffective, in some ways similar to how Eamon Ryan’s portfolio is so large some have said he’s stretched too thin.

Calahonda52

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122408189#Comment_122408189

Thorton Hall, voting machines…

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122406728#Comment_122406728

I don't think buildings, particularly office buildings, should fall under infrastructure. The private sector developes buildings which the state can choose to use if they wish, that isn't the case for most of what is commonly considered infrastructure.

As an aside, I'm not even sure that OPW owns/leases the vast majority of State buildings when you consider that Health and Education buildings are not under OPW, same for prisons, local authority buildings, etc. Then you have the commercial semi-State companies which are also separate (DAA, An Post, Bord na Móna, CIÉ, Coillte, EirGrid, ESB and Gas Networks Ireland, etc.).

Bringing lots of things under one department wouldn't make sense. For specialist sectors such as Health, you'd lose the connection to people on the ground who will use the buildings and the knowledge of the latest technology advances in the sector. There is a clear logic in having a motorway planned and overseen by experts in motorways, but other things are different and you don't stay an expert for long if you are siloed away from what is happening at the coalface.

A Department of Infrastructure should be focused on delivering national infrastructure, not some unnecessarily broad, unwieldy home for everything and anything construction related. That is a recipe for getting little done. It should have a limited and defined remit based on something, preferably the NDP. It shouldn't be open to the minister of the day messing with order or priority.

Another area where a Department of Infrastructure could be very beneficial would be in strategic utilisation of state assets across multiple agencies for a common purpose. For example, the state owns multiple duct networks across several agencies including TII, IÉ, ESB, Waterways Ireland, etc. AFAIK, each use their network for whatever commercial gain they can get. Ideally, a coordinated approach under the Department of Infrastructure would see the network as a whole in line with national policies (for example, removing/minimising access charges on the basis that user companies continually invest in latest technology and robust broadband for the country, and ensure competition).

ArcadiaJunction

This paralysingly mediocre simpleton is only interesting in making more accommodation for the passport-bereft arrivals and I doubt if any form of public transport agenda has even entered his consciousness. We already have all this stuff in place and do not forget this monumental moron is the prime suspect in the Children's Hospital farce.

Personally I would see this as one more bureaucratic inhibitor to delivering transport infrastructure. More cushy jobs for insiders and that's about it.

Economics101

Another Department? There are a few Departments which are important for Infrastructure: Energy, Transport, Housing ,etc. There are also specific bodies dealing with infrastructure such as Transport Infrastructure Ireland. How many more decision making bodies do we need when the situation is already full of bodies which have to consult, co-iordinate, delay etc. ad nauseam? And that's before we even get to the Planning mess.

The only role I can see is where there are interactions between different areas, e.g. Housing and Transport, then maybe we need some sort of oversight body which makes sure that these interactions are taken into account. Should this be a full Department? Not necessarily.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122412162#Comment_122412162

The premise is that we have many departments who need to progress large scale infrastructure progress, each of which has their own staff doing similar roles.

A unified Dept of Infrastructure may lead to better sharing of knowledge and best practices - however an even better solution would be to have a state body responsible for large projects but not the remit of a govt department. Similar to how TII progress infrastructure on behalf of Dept of transport, but beefed up & less need for consultants.

Then this state body could go through all stages up to construction tender in house and progress large projects for Dept of Health, housing, transport, energy etc.

As ever the devil is in the detail and right now we have no detail other than a soundbite from Michael O leary and a soundbite from Simon harris