eolas magazine issue 50 March 2022

Informing Ireland’s decision-makers...

People, culture, and connection Abtran’s Aisling Deasy Sinn Féin

Minister of State

Minister for Public

spokesperson

Hildegarde

Expenditure

on health

Naughton TD

and Reform

David Cullinane TD

outlines new Road

Michael McGrath TD

discusses his

Safety Strategy

explains new NDP

objectives

priorities

alternative vision for healthcare

Infrastructure and construction • Regional focus • Road safety • Offshore wind

issue 50 March 22 €4.95

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Digital

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74

92

38 73

David Cullinane TD discusses an alternative

Road safety 74

vision for healthcare 12

31

Round table discussion: Digital transformation of public services Infrastructure and construction 32

Minister Michael McGrath TD outlines National Development Plan priorities for 2022

38

Land Development Agency Chief Executive John Coleman discusses Project Tosaigh

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Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD discusses Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030

Cover story: Abtran’s Group CEO Aisling Deasy on

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people, culture and connection

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Contents

Print

22

Issues 08

Events

91

Europe moves towards vision zero

Offshore wind 92

Climate Minister Eamon Ryan TD outlines offshore ambitions

102

Routes to market and risk reduction

112

UCD’s Vikram Pakrashi on the importance of strategic research

118 Europe 118

Single Market Scoreboard 2021

122 Public affairs

46

Transport and the NDP

122

Mol an Óige: James O’Connor TD

58

HSE’s Jim Curran on post-covid health

128

Spring legislative programme

infrastructure

132

Meet the media: Eva Short

134

Political platform: Marian Harkin TD

Regional focus: Fingal 62

Ireland’s fastest growing county

70

Tourism in Fingal

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Infrastructure and construction sponsored by

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Covid-19 impact on public procurement

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Green public procurement

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Latest European policy update

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The need for collaborative procurement across public services

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Best practice local government procurement

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Professionalising public buyers

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The impact of Brexit on organisations

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Social procurement

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Procurement across the health sector

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The challenge of IT procurement

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Attaining social and economic benefit from public purchasing

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Best practice: Case studies from outside Ireland

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eolas Issue 50 March 2022 Digital

Events

Print

Editorial Ciarán Galway, Editor ciaran.galway@eolasmagazine.ie

Headwinds of change…

As Covid subsides, three predominant challenges face citizens: housing; healthcare; and cost of living.

Housing remains the defining domestic crisis of this generation. In decade since 2011, house prices have increased by more than 85 cent and rents have doubled. A supply and demand imbalance, population density, increased construction costs, and limited labour all contributors.

the per low are

Meanwhile, as demand continues to exceed capacity in the health system, it estimated that 1.5 million people will be added to hospital waiting lists in 2022. National Treatment Purchase Fund statistics for January 2022 show that 130,983 people were waiting longer than 18 months for outpatient treatment, equating to almost 25 per cent of those waiting for treatment that month.

Simultaneously, figures published by the CSO indicate that the Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP) rate of inflation was greater between January and November 2021 (≈5.2 per cent) than all the years from 2008 to 2020 combined (≈3 per cent). There are several correlating factors informing this, including increased demand, energy and fuel costs, supply chain disruption, and capacity constraints.

Perhaps it is not surprising, therefore, as we look to a post-Covid reality, that there is increased volatility in employment markets. Indeed, as the winds of ‘the Great Resignation’ arrive in Ireland, the Morgan McKinley Irish Salary Guide for 2022 suggests that 82 per cent of professionals are considering a career move within the next six to 12 months.

As such, our timely cover story interview with Abtran CEO Aisling Deasy considers pertinent themes of customer-centric culture, the business process management and outsourcing provider’s recent merger with Morgan McKinley, and projections for market trends in 2022, including the future of work and competition for talent.

Elsewhere in this issue, comprehensive reports on infrastructure and construction, road safety, and offshore wind complement a regional focus on Fingal County Council, exploring overlapping themes of capital expenditure, climate action, and post-Covid recovery, alongside commonly shared challenges. Interviewees and contributors include: Sinn Féin spokesperson on health, David Cullinane TD; Department of Social Protection Secretary General, John McKeon; Land Development Agency Chief Executive, John Coleman; Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD; Climate Minister Eamon Ryan TD; Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD; and Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, Orla O’Connor.

Ciarán Galway

Odrán Waldron, Deputy Editor odran.waldron@eolasmagazine.ie David Whelan david.whelan@eolasmagazine.ie Fiona McCarthy fiona.mccarthy@eolasmagazine.ie Advertising Sam Tobin sam.tobin@eolasmagazine.ie Design Gareth Duffy, Head of Design gareth.duffy@eolasmagazine.ie Paul Rooney paul.rooney@eolasmagazine.ie Events Lynda Millar lynda.millar@eolasmagazine.ie Become a subscriber!

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matters arising

D I G I TA L G OV E R N M E N T

New digital strategy published The Government has published Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework, its new digital strategy “to drive and enable the digital transition across the Irish economy and society”, which includes ambitious targets to 2030, such as the provision of 5G in all populated areas by 2030.

Through programmes such as the National Broadband Plan, the strategy aims to have all households and businesses within the State covered by a gigabit network by 2028 at the latest.

Other aims featured within the framework include increasing the rate of adults with basic digital skills to 80 per cent by 2030 and having more than 12,400 graduates with higher-level digital skills by

the end of 2022. 90 per cent of public services are to be consumed online by 2030, and in the business sector, aims include 90 per cent of SMEs having basic digital intensity by 2030 and 75 per cent of enterprises utilising cloud, AI and big data.

Speaking upon the launch of the strategy, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD said: “The pandemic changed many aspects of our lives, not least through our use of the internet, in working remotely, learning and shopping online, or accessing digital public services. Our new digital strategy aims to maximise the potential of online to increase the wellbeing of Irish people and our small businesses.”

HOUSING

National Retrofitting Scheme launched The long-awaited National Retrofitting Scheme has been launched by the Government, with a package of supports aiming to make carbon-saving home energy upgrades more affordable for homeowners.

Key measures within the scheme include: a new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme that provides grant levels of up to 50 per cent of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to B2 BER standard; one stop shops for “hassle-free, start-to-finish project management… including access to financing”; an increase from 177 to 400 free energy upgrades per month for those at risk of energy poverty; an enhanced grant rate equivalent to 80 per cent of typical cost for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households, “to urgently use as

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part of the Government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices”; and Exchequer investment of €8 billion to 2030 to “enable the supply chain to scale up, creating thousands of high quality jobs and delivering on this critical national objective”.

The plan also commits to the establishment in Q1 2022 of a cross-departmental steering group, which will be chaired by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and will “oversee and monitor progress against our national targets and develop new initiatives as required”.

matters arising

DEFENCE

‘Challenging and far-reaching’ overhaul of Defence Forces recommended

From reviewing 480 submissions and meeting with 1,000 members of the Defence Forces, the Commissions has set out three levels of ambition for Defence Forces reform. The first level is the current capability level, at which the Commission found that the Defence Forces could not conduct a meaningful

defence of the State against acts of aggressions from other military forces.

The second level of ambition is defined as “enhanced capability”, which would see the acquisition of radar and coastal radar system and the strengthening of military intelligence and cyber defence, along with an upgrade of the naval fleet to nine vessels with double crewing. The third level would require a budget 2.5 to three times greater than the current defence budget, increasing the number of naval vessels to 12 and acquiring a squadron of combat aircraft. The Commission, describing Ireland as an “outlier” in terms of defence spending, recommends a move to the second level while more detailed research and debate surrounds the third level.

Credit: Defence Forces

The Commission on the Defence Forces has published its report in which it recommends an overhaul of Ireland’s security measures that would be “challenging and far-reaching” after finding that the “business as usual” maintenance of current Defence Forces capacity would leave the State without a credible military capacity to protect itself for a sustained period.

P U B L I C A F FA I R S

Public servant working hours reduction likely The Government is likely to accept the recommendation of an independent body to shorten the working weeks of public servants. The body’s recommendations will see the provision in the Haddington Road agreement that implemented increased working hours in lieu of pay cuts discontinued.

The Independent Body Examining Additional Working Hours, chaired by Kieran Mulvey, sent recommendations to restore working hours for civil and public servants to Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath TD, a process that was agreed in the Building Momentum deal. Mulvey recommended some exceptions, including for

hospital consultants, who are currently engaged in contract negotiations, and for academics. It is also expected to set a minimum working week for public servants of 35 hours a week.

The Department of Public Expenditure had estimated last year that such a move would cost over €600 million, but the Government is now estimating that accepting the recommendations of the body would cost €180 million for the remainder of 2022 and €360 million for a full year.

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ENERGY

Data centre consumption up 144 per cent since 2015 The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has for the first time released figures on the electricity consumed by data centres within the State, showing the consumption to have risen by 144 per cent between 2015 and 2020. Power usage by data centres rose by 193 per cent between the first quarter of 2015 and the last quarter of 2020, from 290 GWh to 849 GWh, and increased in every quarter.

metred electricity consumption in Ireland rose by 10 per cent, 2,456 GWh, in the same time span.

CSO statistician Niamh Shanahan said that the figures show “a steady increase from quarter to quarter”. “The increase in consumption was driven by a combination of existing data centres using more electricity and new data centres being added to the grid,” Shanahan said.

The share of the State’s electricity consumed by the data centres also rose in the same period, from 5 per cent in 2015 to 11 per cent in 2020. Total

ECONOMY

Number of people employed and extra hours worked per week both increase The CSO’s Labour Force Survey for Q4 2021 shows that there were over 2.5 million people aged 15-89 in employment in Q4 2021, with an employment rate of 73 per cent among those aged 15-64. The raw number of employees showed a 10.1 per cent increase on the same quarter in 2020, when just under 2.3 million were in employment, at a rate of 67 per cent.

10.1 per cent of those employed were away from work in the reference week of the survey, compared with 13 per cent in the 2020 reference week. With overall employment increasing and the number of absences decreasing, the number at work during

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the reference week increased by 13.8 per cent over the year. Consequently, there was an increase of 6.8 million hours worked per week from 70.8 million hours in Q4 2020 to 77.6 million hours in Q4 2021, a rise of 9.6 per cent.

There were 127,400 unemployed persons aged 1574 years in Q4 2021, meaning that the unemployment rate was 4.9 per cent for those aged 15-74 years, with a rate of 10.2 per cent for those aged 15-24 years; these decreased from 5.9 per cent and 14.2 per cent respectively in Q4 2020.

matters arising

EU ombudsman launches inquiry into Commission’s failure to act against State European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has opened an inquiry into the European Commission’s failure to act against Ireland over the pace of its investigations of big tech companies and their breaching of GDPR regulations. The launching of the inquiry comes as a result of a complaint lodged by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) in 2021.

The complaint stated that the European Commission has a duty as the guardian of EU treaties to see to it that GDPR rules were properly applied and the ICCL has claimed that 90 per cent of significant complaints about privacy infringements are unsolved, a claim disputed by the Data Protection Commission.

In writing to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to confirm the inquiry, O’Reilly said it was “appropriate to ask the Commission to provide a detailed and comprehensive account of the information that it has so far collected to inform itself

as to whether the GDPR is applied in all respects in Ireland”.

O’Reilly also wrote: “Public bodies, along with civil society organisations, report that the application of the GDPR in Ireland is inadequate, whereas the commission’s recent reply to the complainant in this case appears to suggest that there is no evidence of this. Questions are bound to arise in the minds of citizens if different factual accounts circulate regarding the implementation of this important legislation.”

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David Cullinane TD wants to be health minister in the next government. Following his six-month national tour of the island’s hospitals, the Sinn Féin frontbencher sits down with Ciarán Galway to outline his alternative vision for healthcare.

In 2016, after failing to secure a seat in three successive elections in Waterford, David Cullinane became the constituency’s first Sinn Féin TD in over 90 years. In 2020, he topped the poll with a record-breaking number of first preference votes.

Attributing the development of his “leftleaning” republicanism to conversations with his grandparents on his mother’s side, who were “staunchly Fianna Fáil and staunchly republican”, alongside his experiences growing up in a working-class estate in Waterford, he felt Sinn Féin was the “perfect fit” for his own politics. To Cullinane, Irish republicanism “is not just about a united Ireland; it is also about a socially just Ireland”.

Persistence When he joined Sinn Féin, it was a small political party with no elected representatives in Waterford. Though, initially, he had not considered standing for election, the opportunity presented itself in 2002, a general election which he describes as “a baptism of fire”.

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For Cullinane, it marked the beginning of a protracted march upon the Dáil. “Election after election, standing to build and increase the vote, knowing in your heart that in most of these elections it was always going to be difficult to actually win a Dáil seat, but you have to put in the hard graft and keep building,” he recounts.

Ultimately, the perseverance of the Sinn Féin grassroots in Waterford paid off. This was exemplified in the 2019 local elections when it was of the few constituencies in which party held onto all its council seats in what was an otherwise disastrous election. Breakthrough came in February 2020, when it secured nearly 39 per cent of the first preference vote.

“That shows the phenomenal growth that Waterford made. We can now see that outside of Donegal, Cavan-Monaghan, Louth, and one or two other constituencies in Dublin, Waterford is a really strong constituency for Sinn Féin,” Cullinane says, adding: “That is down to persistence, hard work, party building,

Credit: Sinn Féin

David Cullinane TD: ‘Serious changes in healthcare’

building credible politics, and building both Sinn Féin and my own credibility on key issues in Waterford as well. It certainly was a long and sometimes difficult journey, but when you see the results of the last election, one that was worth it.”

Frontbench As expected, following the 2020 general election, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald TD undertook a rotation of her parliamentary party frontbench. In a surprise move, however, Cullinane replaced Louise O’Reilly TD as spokesperson on health.

Crediting O’Reilly for her developing Sinn Féin’s policy platform in the health remit, he remarks: “I always had an interest in health, and locally, health was always the issue that I understood best. I had a grá for it. When I listened to other political parties, over a long number of years, talk about health as a ‘poisoned chalice’ or as the ministry that you do not want, that it was the one that I did want. If you make positive changes in healthcare, it has such

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a huge impact on people’s lives.”

Praising Sinn Féin’s other health-oriented spokespersons, including Pauline Tully TD, Patricia Ryan TD, Mark Ward TD, and Tommy Gould TD as having “done some of the heavy lifting” in the areas of carers and disabilities, mental health, older people, and addiction and recovery, Cullinane indicates that his primary focus is on acute, primary, and community care.

“As we get closer to a general election, I can demonstrate that I have the knowledge and we have the policy platform to convince people that we can make serious changes in healthcare.” mixed messages, and, at times, the chaotic response from government in not having clear messaging and poorly communicating decisions that were being made. That, for me, is the frustrating part.

“healthcare free at the point of delivery, as much as is possible”. The second is an increase in overall capacity to address waiting lists. The third, is more accountability.

National tour

“The Government at times saying it was caught off guard when really it should not have been if the type of engagement between the two was as strong as it should have been. It is that lack of planning, cohesion, and decision-making, along with inconsistencies which is where I saw the Government fail.”

Amid several high-profile resignations from the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Council (SIAC), the Opposition has critiqued the Government’s commitment to Sláintecare, asserting that institutional resistance is threatening its implementation.

In seeking to develop understanding of his new remit, the Waterford TD embarked upon a national tour of Ireland’s hospitals, north and south. Over six months, he travelled to 14 hospitals in 10 different constituencies, meeting with 106 interest groups, ranging from hospital managers and CEOs, to consultants, nurses, healthcare assistants, GPs, dentists, patient groups, and trade unions.

Post-Covid, Cullinane identifies waiting lists, eHealth, and regional health as three priority areas for Sinn Féin health policy.

“In the context of learnings from Covid, they are the three areas which came up time and again in each of the engagements I had over a six-month time period going out into constituencies, cities, and counties to listen to people.

For me, they are the changes we need to make.”

“That was really powerful because it gave me a first-hand insight into what the issues were. I moved from an academic understanding of what the problems are to an on-the-ground and realistic understanding,” he recalls.

Similarly, the Sinn Féin TD is critical of the failure to deliver a cohesive all-island response to the pandemic. “There was not the type of integration that we should have had in relation to sharing resources in terms of health,” he remarks.

“I have put in the hard yards and hopefully, over the next while, as we get closer to a general election, I can demonstrate that I have the knowledge and we have the policy platform to convince people that we can make serious changes in healthcare,” he asserts.

Covid Admitting that the onset of the Covid crisis steepened his own personal learning curve, he makes specific criticisms of the Government’s overall response. While acknowledging “things which were done right” and suggesting that “I think that the political system was united in the overall public health response”, the opposition TD criticises what he perceived to be “a disjointed approach between NPHET and the Government” throughout the pandemic.

“My quarrel with government was never on the public health side. Where we differed from and criticised the Government was the slow pace of decision-making, the inconsistencies, the

Acknowledging that such as response was hindered by “the nature of politics in the North”, he maintains that a pragmatic approach to the consolidation of capacity as one of the major lessons of the Covid experience.

Sláintecare Reflecting on the decade ahead, Cullinane is now tasked with mapping out Sinn Féin’s alternative vision for healthcare. Discussing his party’s health policy platform, he identifies three distinct elements.

The first is its overarching vision; it wants to transition from what Cullinane labels “a deeply unfair two-tier health service” to a single-tier Irish health service with

While Cullinane concurs that “there certainly is resistance”, he does not believe that it emanates from the vast majority of people who work on the ground in healthcare, who he says are excited about the potential for change in healthcare.

“Is there resistance from some at the top in the Civil Service? Yes, there probably is. Is there also a lack of political will?

Yes, there is. I do not believe that Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael were ‘all in’ in relation to Sláintecare. That is problematic. I do not believe that they were truly committed to dismantling the two-tier system. That is in part why they have not focused on removing private healthcare from public hospitals,” the opposition frontbencher insists.

Inefficiencies Meanwhile, across investment, decisionmaking, and talent recruitment and retention, Cullinane identifies several ongoing inefficiencies encumbering the effectiveness of the existing healthcare system.

While Ireland’s spending on services provided by acute hospitals is notably higher than in most other countries and demographic pressures mean public healthcare spending is likely to continue to grow as a share of national income, it is not optimising healthcare outcomes.

“We pay several times over for healthcare, and yet there are huge

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Credit: Sinn Féin

already delivering better patient outcomes on an all-island basis, including at the North West Cancer Centre in Derry and at Children's Health Ireland, Crumlin.

amounts of money spent in the private sector through the National Treatment Purchase Fund,” the Waterford TD outlines, adding: “We need to be looking at how we spend more of our money in public healthcare, building up our public healthcare, which is essentially what Sláintecare was meant to be about. That is the first thing.

“Secondly, it takes too long to make a decision. It takes too long for things to be done. That is why I think the regional health areas will be really important. To bring about accountable autonomy, where we devolve real responsibility into these areas. All of the elements of healthcare should be integrated under one regional health area structure, with a masterplan for the geographic area.”

Additionally, in interacting with frontline healthcare workers, Cullinane highlights a prevailing pattern of understaffing and overworking amid capacity constraints.

The State, he holds, cannot build the type of public health service it desires without recruiting and retaining more staff.

“The first thing that I would do as Minister for Health is very quickly deliver a message to those in healthcare that I want to deliver better public health services and I want them to come and work in our public services. As a quid pro quo, I will do my best to ensure that the issues that are important to them are dealt with, that I listen to them, and I deliver. That means increasing capacity, to make their job easier. Secondly, I would legislate for safe staffing levels, so we have a skills mix and safe staffing

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framework to look at the science of how many staff are needed in each ward, in each hospital.”

Emphasising the globalised nature of healthcare and the international demand for healthcare staff, Cullinane believes that, at the most basic level, recruitment and retention hinges on valuing the work that healthcare staff undertake.

“If I can give you one quick example of what not to do, it is what the Government did with student nurses and midwives which is to ignore their call for even a basic level of fair pay for the work that they were doing. That was a mistake.

“Mary Lou McDonald and I met hundreds of them over the course of that campaign and they told us that they will not stay and work in the public system, they will leave and go elsewhere at the first opportunity because of the way they were treated.”

All-island Simultaneously, healthcare is a constituent component of Sinn Féin’s raison d’être, Irish unity. Conscious of this, Cullinane references a “job of work to do” to convince moderate unionists of the logic of all-island healthcare. “For me, more integrated care on an all-island basis is very exciting and makes sense.

The challenge is how we politically navigate our way through that,” he says.

Advocating for proactive discussion and engagement with citizens and between healthcare professionals, the heath spokesperson emphasises pragmatic service level agreements which are

“The best way to integrate the system and get the best from both is to have dialogue, politically, on these issues, but also to encourage and enable dialogue between healthcare professionals because they have a lot of the answers, they want this to happen, and they can make it happen.

“The two systems, north and south, would have their view, but I think the views of citizens and medical experts would be put front and centre. They will come up with the answers and they will come up with them very quickly. It is not beyond us to take the best from both and deliver better healthcare across the island,” he maintains.

Ambition Reiterating his intolerance of pejorative references to the health portfolio as ‘Angola’ or a ‘poisoned chalice’, Cullinane argues that this narrative provides convenient cover for government parties which, he insists, are not committed to a single-tier health service.

“Why would you not want to be in a department where you can make – if you are committed to it – real change; reduce waiting lists, better integrate healthcare, deliver better outcomes for patients, make it a better working environment for frontline healthcare workers, foster a culture to encourage people to come and work in the public system, and have an excitement and an energy about what our new health services would look like? Why would you not want that job?”

While maintaining that he is cognisant that the electorate will determine the shape of the next government, and that there is no guarantee that Sinn Féin will be in that government, he concludes: “I want to be health minister because I think that we can bring about real change and I passionately believe in equality of access to healthcare.”

issues eolas

Climate actions to be taken in 2022 With the Government due to publish its long-term climate strategy that will plot Ireland’s path to net zero emissions by 2050 within the first quarter of 2022, eolas surveys the climate actions that are due to be taken this year.

The Climate Action Plan 2022 is due for publication in the first quarter of 2022 to “fully reflect the legally adopted carbon budgets and sectoral ceilings” as well as illuminate the way to the now legally binding target of net zero by 2050.

The 2021 Climate Action Plan had reset Ireland’s target for electricity generated from renewable sources, scaling up from 70 per cent by 2030 to “up to 80 per cent” by then, meaning that 2022 will see measures to aid this goal, including significant actions such as the publication of a grid connection policy in the second quarter of the year. This policy will then allow for the holding of the first Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction for offshore wind. With regard to use of energy, the Government is also due to review its policy on the role of data centres, with renewable targets and sectoral emissions ceilings to be considered.

Government communications on climate policies have come in for constant criticism and the Government seems cognisant of this, with three 2022 actions within the Climate Action Plan 2021’s annex of actions dedicated to tackling this problem. In the first quarter of the year, a Civil Service-wide climate change communications structure is planned to be established, followed by the development of a climate communications strategy in Q2, and the rollout of centralised communications through Government Information Services in Q3.

Ireland’s long-term plans to significantly cut emissions contain plans to rehabilitate the large tracts of peatlands in the country, with 65,000 hectares to be targeted over the coming years. In 2022, this will include the restoration of 60 hectares of blanket bog in the Wicklow Mountains in Q2, and 40 hectares in Conamara and 116 hectares in Gleann na Muaidhe, both in Q4. The Government’s use of the term “rehabilitation” has also come in for some criticism, with experts stating that the term is too loose and does not define what exactly is planned for Ireland’s peatlands.

With agriculture emissions still rising, the Government has targeted a 30 per cent reduction in the sector’s emissions by 2030, with the Department of Agriculture scheduled to deliver plans to manage sustainability in the beef and dairy sectors by Q2.

Government action in 2022 will also be focused largely on the role of fertilisers, feeds, and animal health in a bid to lower nitrous oxide and methane levels. Legislation for the new Nitrates Action Programme, which will allow for “improved controls for the application and management of chemical fertiliser” is due for Q1 2022.

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cover story

People, culture, and connection As Abtran celebrates 25 years in business, Group Chief Executive Officer Aisling Deasy sits down with eolas Magazine to discuss its customer-centric culture, the recent merger with Morgan McKinley, and projections for market trends in 2022.

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cover story

cover story

Marking a significant milestone on its journey from humble origins as a family business with a team of six people based in Cork, this year, Abtran is celebrating 25 years in business. “We are delighted and very proud to be the leading homegrown provider of business process management services, with a team of 2,000 people operating right across Ireland,” Deasy remarks.

Over the last two decades, Abtran has interacted with millions of customers across a diverse portfolio of services and sectors, including utilities, transport, financial services, and government, on behalf of some of the most trusted Irish brands.

For instance, one of Abtran’s earliest contracts was to support Ireland’s currency transition from the punt to the euro. With a high volume of customer contact, the campaign was a watershed moment.

“Amid such pervasive change, Abtran established a connection with almost every household and business in Ireland,” Deasy recalls, adding: “This connection with the Irish customer has evolved and deepened in the intervening years. As an Irish business, we are proud of our home-grown roots.”

Personal journey Having joined Abtran in 2013, Deasy has had the opportunity to work across every aspect of the business, from operations to transformational change and technology. Reflecting upon her appointment as CEO in November 2020, which she regards as a significant personal achievement, she emphasises the people-centred aspect of Abtran’s services, business, and agenda.

“Having come through the digital customer era, where themes like digitalisation, digital first, machine learning, automation, and AI have dominated the conversation in our business and in our sector, it really was a great opportunity for me as the newly appointed CEO to realign with our people and focus on the value of people in what we do and how we do it for customers and clients.

“The Covid crisis truly brought the role of

“Our people were beyond flexible, cooperative, and loyal during Covid.” our people front and centre, complemented by the importance of the human connection in customer service interactions. This allowed us to unite around a common agenda.”

Human connection Having begun its journey as a peoplecentred business in terms of its service delivery, Deasy maintains that Abtran retains that ethos in the present day, especially in encouraging ideas, innovation, and creation.

“Our brand has always rested on our ability to deliver great service for customers and our people are our greatest asset in ensuring that we do just that,” the CEO explains, adding: “Our people are fundamental to the connection between the customer and the brand, enabling us to understand customers’ needs and expectations. We know what matters most for any brand is trust and confidence, as well as earning continued loyalty over time.”

Most, if not all, of the services Abtran now provides are framed by a digital first model, reflecting the significant change

journey it has undertaken. However, Deasy underlines the continued centrality of service agents and service experience experts to positive customer experiences, sentiments, and outcomes.

“The pace of digital adoption, particularly during the course of the pandemic, catalysed digital adoption at an unpredictable pace. For many of us, the experience emphasised the importance of the human connection, repositioning it at the centre of how we deliver services to customers,” she asserts.

Evolution of services Previously, Abtran’s brand was most synonymous with its contact centre services. Over the years, however, it has evolved to offer an equal balance of customer and business process management (BPM) and outsourcing (BPO) services, particularly in the identity and entitlement sphere. This includes driver licencing and learner permit application processing, various grant application processing, as well as insurance claims processing, validation, and entitlement.

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programme, opening up career opportunities and progression for its people.

“Fundamentally, given the difference in skills, competencies, and capabilities that we now need to deliver great service, it is incumbent on us that we cultivate an environment that provides career options and progression for our people,” she says.

Morgan McKinley merger

“People are at the heart of our ability to deliver a great service for our customers.”

“We are handling millions of complex customer interactions, including a large volume of secure card payments,” Deasy outlines. “This profile of services has necessitated the development of a deep specialisation in complex and highly regulated sectors. We have invested heavily in industry accreditations to ensure that we continue to operate at the highest standards of quality, compliance, and data privacy.”

People Crucially, the skillset of the Abtran team has evolved in tandem with its service offering. While traditionally, the business handled large volumes of transactional queries, the profile of customer interaction has reduced as transactions have been automated or deflected to self-service channels that customers utilise themselves.

The importance of having a very experienced, highly skilled, and welltrained customer service team has assumed unprecedented relevance. “To achieve this, we have invested heavily in the continued development and training

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of our people,” Deasy explains, observing: “We have cultivated teams with deep service experience and subject matter expertise, while simultaneously developing our technology and learning and development capabilities.

“People are at the heart of our ability to deliver a great service for our customers.

Likewise, culture is exceptionally important to a customer service business. As such, it is through our people that we foster a culture of care for the customer.

“This requires listening to and understanding customer needs, striving to get it right first time on their behalf, embracing innovation and change, and constantly seeking to improve services.

All of this is delivered through our people.”

Since taking up the position of CEO, Deasy has placed a priority focus on this agenda. For instance, in late 2021, Abtran launched a company-wide initiative under the Abtran Academy umbrella, reorientating its focus on the continued learning and development

Emerging from the substantial uncertainty unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses face unprecedented competition for talent at every level in the market. Consequently, the attraction, retention, and development of talent is critical to the scale and complexity of service solutions that Abtran provides. In this context, the December 2021 merger between Abtran and Morgan McKinley was a significant and timely milestone.

“As a business outsource provider, the people element of any one of our managed service solutions is always a core and critical element. We have had a very long-standing relationship with Morgan McKinley and have always collaborated with it as a sourcing partner provider,” the Abtran CEO emphasises.

“With synergy in our origins as two Corkbased, leading Irish-owned companies, as well as possessing shared values with people at the centre, we regard this as a unique opportunity to come together with Morgan McKinley as a global professional services recruitment consultancy. Our combined capabilities will bring an alternative solution to our existing clients and the wider market in enabling access to talent.”

While retaining its traditional core recruitment services, there is now an opportunity to expand into a variety of managed service solution types – from the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) model to the Managed Service Provider (MSP) model – before consolidating what Abtran specialises in; insourced solution or service options in the first instance, alongside fully outsourced, outcome-based service contracts.

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“It is certainly something that we believe is a new proposition that we can bring to market,” Deasy asserts, adding: “Alongside Abtran’s deep roots in the Irish market, there is much potential in Morgan McKinley’s global reach, including industry expertise from right across the world.”

Market trend projections Considering key market trends for 2022 and beyond, the Abtran CEO identifies three dominant themes: the future of work; climate action; and competition for talent.

Future of work The impact of the pandemic has been pervasive, catalysing a re-evaluation of long-held views on the workplace, especially in the customer service sector.

For many, the most optimistic legacy of the pandemic will be the continued option to work from home and the associated benefits across quality-of-life metrics.

“This assessment aligns with what we at Abtran have experienced and what our people are saying to us. Certainly, my understanding of market research indicates that this is reflected in labour market sentiment,” Deasy asserts.

“This is very much a priority for Abtran.

Our people were beyond flexible, cooperative, and loyal during Covid. That is what enabled us to protect some of Ireland’s most critical services during that time of uncertainty. Now we want to play our part in ensuring that we can reciprocate that flexibility and retain the best of the new ways of working for our people.”

While Abtran implemented contractual working from home as an option in late 2021, the CEO acknowledges that there is more work to do, emphasising the need to ensure that people remain connected and engaged.

“Certainly, as we move beyond the public health restrictions there is huge value in providing the option to bring people together and connect, rather than mandating it, while retaining flexibility in the work place.”

“Our partnerships with clients in delivering growth ambitions and strategic transformational change ambitions hinge on access to talent.”

Climate action As a leading business process services provider operating in the energy and transport sectors, Deasy identifies an integral role for Abtran in achieving the structural and behavioural changes required to deliver on Ireland’s national net zero emissions target by 2050.

“Our new relationship with Morgan McKinley is conducive to this climate action objective, providing us with a unique opportunity to access a global talent pool and international expertise, while sharing cross-sectoral experience.

“We must assume and own our responsibility of our expectations and obligations as a business, certainly in what we do and how we do it on behalf of our clients in the transport and energy sectors,” she insists.

Competition Competition for talent, something that has always been core to how Abtran delivers each of its outsourced managed service contracts. “Our partnerships with clients in delivering growth ambitions and strategic transformational change ambitions hinge on access to talent.

“This access to talent underpinned what was a strategic and decisive move for our business and for Morgan McKinley, setting us up for a very exciting future as we look ahead to another successful 25 years.”

The next 25 years For two years, the disruption of the

Covid crisis has changed every aspect of life, both professionally and personally, triggering a diverse response from citizens. While ‘the Great Resignation’ is predominantly a US phenomenon, it is a trend that Deasy is mindful of both within the Irish market, and in the context of the global competition for talent.

Acknowledging that the move to remote working offers many opportunities for people to rebalance their quality of life, the CEO emphasises the importance of developing models for connecting and engaging distributed teams, reestablishing the team culture, and ultimately turning the tide of the resignation mindset.

“The priority, from my perspective, will be the power of connecting and driving a team culture, and aligning people around a common purpose,” she projects.

Summarising Abtran’s achievements over the last quarter of a century, Deasy expresses pride in a success that has been built upon customer-centrism.

“While it is somewhat clichéd, customercentrism has been a core value of the Abtran business since the outset and remains so to this day.

“However, we remain open to the possibility that there are better ways of working. We will continue to challenge ourselves, adapt and evolve, listening to the customer, listening to the agent, and embracing their perspective. We are very excited about the next 25 years and retain an enduring passion for great service which we achieve through great people,” she concludes.

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Accelerating the transformation of services and ensuring long-term sustainability John McKeon, Secretary General at the Department of Social Protection, speaks to eolas about fostering a culture that allows for sustainable transformation and how his department responded to the Covid-19 pandemic with the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

McKeon begins with an honest reflection on a tendency among those in leadership positions to be out of touch with the realities of the younger staff within their organisations. “What is new to most of us, senior leaders of a certain age, is already old hat to most of the staff that are driving change in our organisations and most of the clients that use our service,” he says. “If, for example, you ask a millennial to describe a mouse, they won’t do what I’d do and talk about the thing you use to move the cursor on screen.

“If we don’t know what we don’t know and we don’t fully understand that little bit that we do know, how can we fully comprehend how that technology can change the way we deliver services?

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That’s a challenge to all of us and we do tend to trust the little bit we do know. We tend to be reticent about change and hang on to what we know and are slow to embrace new opportunities. If proof was ever needed that necessity is the mother of invention, the pandemic has shown that. All of a sudden, lockdown happened and things that had already been possible for a number of years, technologies that were ready to be implemented, were suddenly implemented.”

The most significant of the measures and projects to be suddenly implemented in McKeon’s line of work was undoubtedly the PUP, the measure which delivered €350 weekly to those who had been left jobless by the market crash caused by

Credit: Andy Gibson/Alamy

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the pandemic. McKeon attributes the ease with which the Department of Social Protection implemented this new payment to the sense of purpose that has been inculcated with the organisation.

“There’s an old Irish saying, tús maith leath na hoibre, but I would say that a clear sense of purpose and vision is more than half the work,” he says. “Purpose transcends the organisation, it makes mundane tasks seem important by giving everything a higher purpose and it’s important to focus on it in that context.

“An advantage that the public service has over the private sector is that it’s about public service values. If values are important enablers in the private sector, they are the drivers of change in the public sector. They are the things that not only enable change to happen, but demand that it happen.”

McKeon calls the well-worn argument of public versus private sector “reductive and a waste of time” due to the fact that “all organisations fail” and states that it is wrong for people to focus on such failings as the reasons for change.

Instead, he emphasises the need to focus on an organisation’s strengths and to use those as the foundational point of any and all forthcoming change.

“The public sector in Ireland has some huge strengths: we do twice-yearly customer surveys of our Intreo offices, and they are done by independent market research companies,” he says.

“We get rated on scores of zero to five, where zero is appallingly bad and five is out of this world; nobody ever scores five. We tend to score between four and four-and-a-half and have done consistently since we started this. In terms of cost effectiveness and the ratio

of staff to 1,000 clients, the UK has got about 60, we’ve got 16. We’re not understaffed, we just think we’re a hell of a lot more efficient than some other countries. We’re good at what we do and we’re efficient at what we do; that’s the starting point for change. We want to be better, and this is where we start.”

Looking again to the private sector, McKeon contrasts the realities of transformation versus innovation: “Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and others are big into taking advantage of disrupted technologies. When things break down, they use that to pursue opportunities.

Prior to them, we had Bill Gates. Gates would have been a disruptor once upon a time but as his organisation matured he said things got different and he moved from transformation to innovation. He said that innovation is about bright people taking something that’s already possible and packaging it in a different way.”

Here, he concludes, reflecting on how the PUP was delivered by taking what the Department already had and packaging it in a different way: “It’s trite and simplistic but there is opportunity in disruption and the PUP is an example of that. We had 50,000 people walk into our offices the day after [then Taoiseach] Leo Varadkar told us not to go to work from Washington; how could we be prepared to respond to that? In the next couple of days, we had 200,000 more.

“We had to develop a new system from scratch over a weekend. We did it by taking bits and pieces of what was already in place, and we put them together. That’s what delivered that innovation, not speccing a system from scratch. That’s where innovation comes in. The reason we could do that is that we had a very clear sense of purpose shared across the organisation and everybody put their shoulder to the wheel. Our sense of purpose is about serving our communities and that’s what public service is about. Doing the best we can for our families, for our communities and for our country; that’s transformation.”

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The future is physics

Advertorial

The Institute of Physics (IOP) is the professional body and learned society for physics in Ireland and the UK. It seeks to raise public awareness and understanding of physics, inspire people to develop their knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of physics and support the development of a diverse and inclusive physics community. As a charity, it has a mission to ensure that physics delivers on its exceptional potential to benefit society.

As a society we face an unprecedented array of challenges. Globally, we need to address a changing climate and a growing population, to decarbonise economies, improve healthcare and ensure water, food, and energy supplies.

Domestically, Ireland needs to develop the next generation of industries to create jobs and improve productivity to safeguard citizens’ futures.

The IOP’s Workforce Skills Survey for Ireland and the UK found a common picture. With physics skills underpinning productive industries in both, strengthening provision of physics skills is central to ambitions to improve economic growth, prosperity, and living standards at national and local levels.

Physics has a vital role to play in tackling these issues and helping make Ireland and the UK fit for a new industrial era of science, technology and engineering, an era the IOP wants to see Ireland and the UK transformed into science superpowers.

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ensuring availability of a variety of physics education and training pathways, as well as complementary transferable and digital skills development, all informed by close engagement between educators, employers, and researchers and innovators;

So where does Ireland stand on the cusp of this new era? What does it need to do?

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incentivising employers to invest in employees’ upskilling and reskilling; and

There is much opportunity but for it to be fully grasped Ireland’s physics-based businesses need supported in skills and research and development (R&D).

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ensuring interventions aimed at strengthening provision of physics skills move beyond the level of STEM skills, given the distinct labour market demand for physics knowledge.

Beyond a new approach to physics in our education system the actions needed now are:

Despite preconceptions, the demand for physics spans all skills levels. High-skill-level roles are seeing the fastest growth – with the number of jobs for physical scientists, for example, growing by 40 per cent between 2010 and 2020 – more than half (53 per cent) of physics-demanding jobs do not require a degree.

Already there is significant unmet demand for physics skills, with a substantial number of physics-demanding roles at any one time, nearly 9,000 high-duration vacancies in mid-2021, having quickly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, seeming to persist in being hard to fill.

There is strong, sustained growth in demand for physics skills, particularly outside of the scientific sector, with a significant proportion of hard-to-fill vacancies being for digital, and business and finance roles, reflecting their importance, but is likely to exacerbate existing skills shortages in the coming years.

Physics-based industries (PBIs) come under many different names but includes advanced manufacturing, science and technology services, medical equipment servicing, energy sector and telecoms. Whatever the enterprises are called PBIs are a major and key contributor to Ireland and have the potential to do much more.

In the past decade, Irish PBIs achieved 33 per cent in GVA growth, 41 per cent employment growth and 26 per cent turnover growth. With 92 per cent of the 19,994 physics-based companies

R&D, and its commercialisation, is the next piece to becoming science superpowers but both Ireland (1.4 per cent) and the UK (1.8 per cent) fall well below the OECD average of spending 2.4 per cent of GDP and behind key competitors such as Germany who spend 3 per cent or more. In 2021, the IOP commissioned the report Paradigm Shift analysing the R&D work of Irish and UK PBIs. It highlighted the need for more, longer-term investment sustained throughout the R&D chain with government incentives vital to achieve this.

Key performance indicators included the scale of investment, track record of securing government resources and relationships between industry and research institutions. Irish PBIs perform well on all these indicators for early-stage research but with some challenges in late-stage developments. The survey showed a strong research infrastructure and that Irish PBIs involved in R&D planned to increase their commitment, but many wanted a policy shift in government incentives to direct support and means of capital de-risking.

If Ireland is to strengthen the foundations of its future economic prosperity, to diversify and grow indigenous companies there will need to be a step change. Part of that step change must be how Ireland thinks about physics and provides full recognition of its place and role in the education system, skills development, job creation, productivity and research and development. The Irish PBIs and its research ecosystem can be the foundations for that future.

T: 020 7470 4800 E: Ireland@iop.org W: www.iop.org

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The IOP’s research into the impact of PBIs in Ireland shows they account for nearly 200,000 full-time employees. They contribute €29 billion to Ireland’s Gross Value Added (GVA), three times that of construction and represents 9 per cent of Ireland’s GDP. Despite contributing just under 9 per cent of national GVA, PBI investment in R&D comprises more than 40 per cent of total R&D in Ireland. The annual turnover is worth €80 billion making it double the size of retail. As many economies wrestle with a productivity challenged, the physics sector is above the Irish average. As a sector, it provides high value jobs with average employee compensation of €59,000.

being micro-sized (less than 10 employees) the opportunities for more growth, better jobs and higher productivity are there to be taken.

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Tax revenue resilient throughout pandemic Despite the fact that some 38 per cent of income earners are exempt from income tax, an October 2021 report by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) found that income tax revenues in Ireland “proved resilient throughout the global pandemic”.

Total income tax receipts fell from circa €22.9 billion in 2019 to €22.7 billion in 2020, an annual decrease of just 1.3 per cent amounting to €293 million. This lower-thanexpected decrease is said to be due to the fact that “pandemic-induced job losses were primarily in low-paid, public-facing roles while there were limited job losses in higherpaid sectors such as ICT, finance and pharmaceuticals”.

This comes despite the PBO noting that 38 per cent of income earners were exempt from income tax in 2020, a policy which they concede is “progressive and fair” but also “means that the income tax base becomes narrow”. In 2018, it notes, the top 1 per cent of earners paid over 20 per cent of the income tax revenues and the top 25 per cent contributed over 80 per cent.

The PBO also reiterates the fact that the Irish Exchequer is becoming “increasingly reliant” on corporation tax as a revenue source, with the tax contributing €11.8 billion to Ireland’s coffers in 2020, an 8.7 per cent increase on 2019 amounting to €1 billion.

Corporation tax now sits at its highest level ever and accounts for 21 per cent of total tax income, having accounted for 11.7 per cent in 2009.

Concerns around the reliance on corporation tax include the global changes to the tax led by the OECD meaning that any change could have a “significant negative impact” on revenue and that reliance on such a volatile tax mirrors the “experience of relying on stamp duty and transaction-based taxes in the Celtic Tiger era”. There is also concern that within the overreliance on corporation tax is an overreliance on a small number of firms; the top 10 companies in 2020 contributed €5.9 billion, 51 per cent of net corporation tax receipts. Foreign-owned multinationals contributed 82 per cent of net corporation tax revenue, an increase from 77 per cent in 2019.

Elsewhere, the Local Property Tax has “proven to be [a] reliable, relatively stable and sustainable of revenue”, contributing €480 million to tax receipts in 2020. The PBO also states that while “revenue generated from carbon taxes will increase in the short-tomedium-term, reducing carbon emissions as part of a green transition will require alternative sources of revenue to be found over the long term”. In 2020, fuel excises generated €1.8 billion in tax income, with carbon taxes and motor vehicle duties contributing €494 million and €939 million respectively.

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OPW: Fresh ambition for heritage and capital works Meanwhile, appreciation for Ireland’s natural resources has been reignited, Collier suggests, by the Covid-19 pandemic experience. “When we were limited to a 2km and latterly a 5km radius, people began to engage with their local sites and heritage in a completely different way. People reengaged with their locale and discovered heritage that they never knew existed,” she says, adding: “Covid has had a transformative impact on how Irish people engage with their national heritage, which has been very exciting for OPW and the work that it undertakes.”

With almost 800 sites in its care, the Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for the national heritage estate, as well as the delivery of an ambitious capital works programme. eolas Magazine speaks with Rosemary Collier, the OPW’s new Head of Heritage and Capital Works Delivery.

With the national heritage estate in daily public use all year round, OPW’s heritage work programme requires multidisciplinary teams to deliver operations to maintain the portfolio and manage eight million visitors per annum. Simultaneously, through Project Ireland 2040, the OPW is delivering a significant capital works delivery programme totalling approximately €1 billion over the next decade.

Mirrored in the dispersal of the properties under the OPW’s care, ranging from 3,000-year-old national monuments in heritage to modern estates in capital works delivery, the Head of Heritage and Capital Works Delivery role is hugely diverse.

Reflecting upon how heritage defines our placemaking, our sense of wellbeing as citizens, what it means to be Irish, and how Ireland is perceived internationally, Collier observes: “It is a huge privilege to have the opportunity to care for iconic sites such as Oileáin na Scealaga, Newgrange, and the Rock of Cashel, driving the international agenda for inward tourism to Ireland, as well as sustainably defining these sites for future generations.”

Cognisant of the challenges facing the construction sector in terms of the supply of materials, skills capacity, and cost inflation, however, Collier remains confident that the OPW can deliver its ambitious programme as envisioned.

Currently the sole female board member of the OPW, she emphasises the “very talented female workforce within OPW, ranging from engineers to architects” and insists that “if Covid has taught us one thing, it is that we must be agile and ensure flexibility in how we approach our work”.

T: (046) 942 2000 E: info@opw.ie W: www.gov.ie/opw

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Having served as the OPW’s Director of National Historic Properties for five years, Rosemary Collier has been appointed to a “once in a lifetime” role as its Head of Heritage and Capital Works Delivery. In this position, she is tasked with the responsibility of caring for Ireland’s most iconic properties and precious collections.

While at the core of the OPW’s priorities, it cannot be defined by its heritage conservation remit alone. Amid organisational change, Collier’s most immediate priority is establishing an optimal internal structure, ensuring that the right people are in the right posts to deliver the OPWs’ capital works pipeline. “There are huge expectations linked to Project Ireland 2040, from within our political systems, among citizens, and among clients,” she acknowledges.

roundtable discussion

Digital transformation of public services Dell Technologies hosted a virtual round table discussion with key stakeholders discussing the further digitalisation of public services and the future role of cloud.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the narrative around digital transformation of public services?

George Maybury Necessity is the mother of innovation and so it is no surprise that the pace of digital transformation has been greater in recent years than we had ever seen prepandemic. For public services, getting over the resistance to change was key to

staying operational and the public health crisis was a catalyst for a pathway to future digital services. However, we now need to build on that, improving citizen experience and developing operational excellence, which is what we are focused on in Dell. Pandemic-driven investment in infrastructure and skills has delivered a solid basis but more will be required if we are to adopt learnings and utilise better digital public services to tackle forthcoming challenges such as climate change.

Owen Harrison There is a perception of a significantly increased expectation for digital public services. The pandemic has highlighted a lot of successes in quickly delivering services and the public can see that with the right will, delivery of digital public services can happen rapidly, meaning higher expectation. Additionally, there is an increased risk appetite in producing digital services but that must be balanced with ever-present cyber security threats.

Mary O’Connor

Round table discussion hosted by

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All organisations now need to become digital organisations and all teams need to become digital teams. Digital transformation is exciting because it presents so many opportunities, particularly when you consider the approach, capability and focus that will be required to reach net zero. We have a massive opportunity to change how we

Roundtable participants Owen Harrison Owen is an Assistant Secretary and CIO at the Courts Service and has 25 years of experience working on digital transformation and data projects in the public and private sectors. Before the courts, he worked in the Office of the Government CIO, where he led the digital and data briefs. Owen has a PhD in computer science from Trinity College Dublin.

live and work and how community operates.

Tony Shannon Covid-19 has generated the conditions to make very agile and rapid change. What I have been most impressed with within the public sector is the “can do” attitude.

The question now is “will do”– will people pick up the baton and keep running? In terms of transformation of public services, digitisation is the only game in town and we do not have a lot of time remaining in this decade, we must act.

George Maybury

Pádraig Sugrue End user expectations have accelerated and so, it is important that we deliver on that expectation. Hybrid and remote working naturally lends itself to increased demand for digitalisation and so it is an exciting space to be in.

Mary O’Connor As CIO for ESB, Mary has a wealth of experience from over 30 years working in a wide range of disciplines and functions at all levels within ESB. She has led teams at all levels of the organisation in successful implementation of change working closely with internal and external partners to do so. Mary is an IT graduate of Trinity College and is an ACCA post-graduate in accounting and finance. She is a coach and mentor within ESB and is passionate about developing people to enable them reach their full potential.

To what extent has the public sector’s appetite for cloud solutions evolved?

Tony Shannon There is an evident appetite for cloud solutions and it relates to the increased understanding of balance of risk. In the past there was a real risk concern around doing things on cloud but we have shown through solutions like gov.ie, the vaccination programme and the digital Covid certificate that the opportunity and benefit of shifting services to cloud outweigh any related risk.

Tony Shannon Tony has been Head of Digital Services in the Office of Government Chief Information Officer, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform since September 2020.

Having originally qualified in medicine in University College Dublin, he trained and worked in emergency medicine and informatics between Ireland, UK and the US for over 20 years.

Owen Harrison The increasing appetite for cloud solutions correlates with decreasing options to not use cloud. Also, as expectations for digital services increase, as CIOs, one of the major tools in our arsenal is cloud. On security, I would now argue that we are at a point where onpremises is less secure than the cloud because the most powerful means of securing your systems are cloud- and AIbased. Finally, traditional forms of infrastructure provision are being replaced by code, enabling it to be

roundtable discussion

George Maybury leads the Public Sector business for Dell Technologies across Ireland. His team provides all of Dell Technologies’ services and solutions to education, healthcare, local and national government as well as defence and security. Previous to this, George led BT’s government business in Northern Ireland and was responsible for a number of large scale digital transformation programmes. George holds a degree in management and information systems and a postgraduate diploma in IT for strategic management from the Technological University of Dublin.

Pádraig Sugrue Pádraig has been Head of IT at Gas Networks Ireland since 2017, where he is responsible for all aspects of the organisation’s IT strategy, delivery and operations. Prior to joining Gas Networks Ireland, Pádraig was a senior technology manager with Accenture for 16 years. He has a degree in civil and environmental engineering from UCC.

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repeatable and reliable. However, that comes with the recognised challenge of new skillsets being required.

Pádraig Sugrue

roundtable discussion

There has been a major industry shift in recent years and at Gas Networks Ireland, as we look to replace legacy systems, cloud is the only option in many cases. The pandemic has proven the speed and scale benefits of cloud, particularly when it comes to the delivery of public health information, but I do believe some challenges remain around cost benefit. Some of our analysis on migration to the cloud has shown that when you factor in the cost of cloud services, the necessary governance and the in-house skills required, migration does not always stack up financially. It is an area that requires focus because as industry shifts, it is up to us as organisations to be ready for cloud adoption.

Mary O’Connor I do not believe that the digital transformation we are seeking is possible without cloud. The capability available through cloud is so big that we have to make a business case work, if we are to take full advantage. We need to challenge the hyper-scalers and the vendors in this space to support organisations to make those business cases and see the capability that is possible. The scalability, agility and the ability to deal with large volumes of data of cloud will be crucial as we strive towards net zero.

How will the new national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework, aligned with the EU’s Digital Decade, drive further digital transformation of public services?

Owen Harrison The first thing that struck me was that the strategy was launched by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and the Minister for State; that is a new development and reflects that the time is now for digital transformation. There are ambitious targets in there: 90 per cent of applicable

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“We see a future of hybrid and multi-cloud, where there will be many and different types of cloud.”

George Maybury

services to be consumed digitally by 2030 throws the gauntlet down for public services. The MyGovID target for electronic identity was encouraging, the standardised use of it by 80 per cent of citizens would be very welcome. As is the focus in the strategy on data.

Tony Shannon Hopefully the Government will take a whole-of-government approach and we will see that across the people and the process, as well as the technical aspects.

The Government cannot do this on its own and government and markets must work together. We need a good, healthy government and tech relationship to emerge. The strategy addresses a human-centric push, which is the driver for us, to make citizens’ lives better. If we can get citizens engaged in this then we can get a virtuous circle of the people, the State, and the market players working together to pull Ireland up.

George Maybury That government and tech relationship is a hot topic across Europe, particularly in Italy, where they are going to receive substantial European funding to transform their economy and there are large-scale computing projects starting to emerge. It is a good thing that we have a plan with senior stakeholder sponsorship, along with investment from Europe, to allow this to happen. In our innovation

centre in Limerick, we are working with academia and large organisations to bring new technologies to life. For example, we are working on a digital twin project for cancer research. We are looking at that area of emerging tech to see how we can help academics progress their research and healthcare providers improve their interventions.

Pádraig Sugrue

Mary O’Connor ESB has just revealed its refreshed strategy for the next decade with digital and data at its foundations. I think one of the main features of the new national digital strategy is the centrality of data, and its use from an insights perspective.

Data around services, utilisation of services and customer experience of services can help shape what we

What role will a cloudorientated approach to delivery of all services play in further digitalisation of public services?

George Maybury Our philosophy at Dell is to embrace cloud. We see a future of hybrid and multi-cloud, where there will be many and different types of cloud, for example, edge cloud will become very relevant to some areas such as utilities and healthcare, where information can be processed at the edge and then possibly sent to a central cloud. However, we realise that that journey will take time.

Our strategy is to offer customers a choice of where they want their data, giving it an interoperability for interaction with other clouds and making the workload portable. At the same time, we want to simplify the shift to public cloud for organisations in relation to risk and in terms of the skills and knowledge needed for each solution.

roundtable discussion

Ireland is recognised as an international digital hub and if you look at our population and workforce, we are becoming increasingly digitally literate.

The expectation for digital public services is now very high. The strategy is ambitious, and we need that level of ambition to drive forward. The integration of systems and data between public organisations is an obvious challenge, not just technically, but as a people challenge which requires close cooperation. In overall terms, we welcome the strategy, and the timing is ideal.

prioritise in the future and what we invest in. Getting those insights will be critical to guiding our strategies and investments.

Tony Shannon It will enable a shift so that public services can focus on areas of maximum

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“One of the major culture shifts is fully grasping that digital transformation is not just a reimplementation of processes but a full reimagining of business operations.”

Owen Harrison

25 25

efficiency. When you consider how cloud has enabled the emergence of infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and now software as a service, there is a basis for us to move the work we are doing up the value chain and take advantage of these opportunities.

However, as we do so, we need to ensure we are not locking ourselves into any one vendor and so a move towards opensource components will ensure collaboration.

“The capability available through cloud is so big that we have to make a business case work, if we are to take full advantage.”

Mary O’Connor

roundtable discussion

It will play a critical role given its scalability, capability, agility and efficiency. I also think cyber security is an important factor and the pandemic has helped highlight the advantages of cloud in this regard. At ESB, we are looking more and more at cloud as something that reduces rather than increases risk.

Finally, I think there is a debate to be had on what cloud can do for green IT and whether hyper-scalers can potentially do green IT better than the public sector combined.

Pádraig Sugrue The expectation from end users is that they will have a one-stop-shop for all things public service and cloud will be a major enabler of that. However, that will require multiple clouds, with multiple vendors involved, so the integration between those clouds and how they are governed will be key. Data will be central to the digitisation of public services. In response to the increasing internal and external demand for data, Gas Networks Ireland has established a Data Competency Centre as part of our recent operating model re-structure.

Mary O’Connor

Owen Harrison A safe transition to cloud will only happen if we have the right skills. We are moving away from the traditional system admintype skill sets and into a new space and that will be an active challenge for us over the next decade.

How can public sector leaders maintain momentum in digital transformation postpandemic?

Mary O’Connor Taking a human-centric approach and

“In terms of transformation of public services, digitalisation is the only game in town and we do not have a lot of time remaining in this decade, we must act.”

Tony Shannon

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“Some of our analysis on migration to the cloud has shown that when you factor in the cost of cloud services, the necessary governance and the in-house skills required, migration does not always stack up financially.”

Pádraig Sugrue

Tony Shannon This is a decade that demands we think carefully about the next crisis, that is the climate crisis. We have to use the valuable time we have got to make sure things change for the better. If we can do that, this decade will have a great legacy and the tech will just be part of it. It will be mostly about people and process change. If we try to ignore what is ahead of us by 2030 then the opportunity from this crisis will be wasted.

Owen Harrison One of the major culture shifts in fully grasping that digital transformation is not just a reimplementation of processes but a full reimagining of business operations.

The challenge for leaders who are not in the digital space day in day out, is grasping how different business can be if digital is fully utilised. Also, we need to move into an agile world, and this means a fundamental shift in all things: funding, auditing, procurement, co-creation. For example, bureaucratic requirements challenge agility where there is a

roundtable discussion

investing in benefits for the employee and the customer are key. New ways of working are also key; this is not all about tech, but collaborative working with datadriven decision making. Investment based on value and experience rather than fixed scope, modernising funding and auditing processes are also big challenges for organisations.

tendency to focus on assessment of processes rather than the value add. As leaders, we must strive for agility all the while satisfying our legislative obligations.

Pádraig Sugrue We need to re-evaluate strategy and priorities given what has happened in the last two years, which goes broader than digital strategy. Expectations amongst the public are now higher and it is up to us to help accelerate the delivery of digital solutions. The pandemic has helped us to have the conversation around data privacy and ownership of public data. A lot of step changes have been made with regards to health data and that blueprint can be used across public services, but we need to continue to bring the public onboard.

George Maybury Because of Covid, we know what change is possible and the expectation is now there. The challenge for 2030 is around skills and how people think. What we can do with our influence is double down on what is possible. The battle for talent is very real; Dell has recruited 800 people in Ireland this year and we still have several hundred vacancies. We are starting to struggle to fill the demand for AI and technologies that will be key in this decade. To execute the strategy, we need to bring new skills and people into this sphere because otherwise we are not going to have the capacity.

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issues eolas

Ireland tops Europe and Britain in high-value FDI attraction The Northern Ireland Protocol has become an advantage in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), a new report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found, with high-value FDI now accounting for over 70 per cent of all new greenfield FDI projects on the island of Ireland.

In its report, Enhancing the attractiveness of the island of Ireland to high-value foreign direct investment, the ESRI found that “Northern Ireland’s continued access to the EU single market for goods secured through the Protocol is a key comparative advantage for attracting high-value FDI relative to the other regions in the UK”.

The findings of the report back up this assertion, with the FDI in high-value sectors in both the Republic and Northern Ireland showing greater shares of all new greenfield FDI projects than Great Britain or the remaining 26 EU state outside of the Republic. The high-value sectors included in the ESRI’s analysis include: aerospace; biotechnology; pharmaceuticals; medical devices;

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semiconductors; business machines and equipment; electronic components; consumer electronics; communications; software and IT services; financial services; business servicers; and space and defence.

Greenfield FDI projects are defined as “new operations established by foreign companies at a new site”. These highvalue projects account for 76 per cent of all new greenfield FDI project in the Republic of Ireland and 70 per cent in Northern Ireland, compared to 67 per cent in Britain and 51 per cent in the EU26. 70 per cent and 76 per cent of new greenfield FDI in the Republic and North respectively are accounted for by these high-value projects, compared to 39 per cent in Britain and 24 per cent in the EU26.

High-value FDI on both sides of the border in Ireland is dominated by highvalue FDI in services, which accounts for 86 per cent of all high-value FDI in the Republic and 91 per cent in the North.

Services account for 87 per cent and 80 per cent of the high-value FDI in Britain and the EU26 respectively.

The North’s high-value FDI market is dominated by software and IT services, with these projects accounting for 53 per cent of new high-value greenfield FDI projects from 2003-2020; only two other sectors – business services (19.2 per cent) and communications (10.5 per cent) – account for more than 10 per cent of the market. Software and IT services is the dominant sector in all jurisdictions considered, although not to the extent of

issues eolas

Northern Ireland. It accounts for 36.3 per cent, 42.4 per cent, and 32.1 per cent in the Republic of Ireland, Britain, and the EU26 respectively.

Consistent with the report’s assertion that the North’s access to the EU’s market is giving it a comparative advantage to the rest of the UK in attracting high-value FDI are the report’s findings on the origin of high-value FDI investors from 2003-2020 in Ireland, Britain and Europe. While all markets received the majority of their high-value FDI from non-EU investors, Britain recorded a proportion of 74.4 per cent of investors from outside the EU, with Northern Ireland being next closest of the four markets with a rate of 64.8 per cent, more comparable to that of the Republic, 64.2 per cent. FDI into the EU26 was an almost perfect split, with 50.1 per cent of high-value FDI coming from outside the EU. The research “indicate[s] that the attractiveness of a given location in the EU and UK is positively associated with EU market potential, domestic market growth, low labour costs, agglomeration economies in knowledge-intensive sectors, availability of skills, R&D expenditure in the public sector (government and higher education), government funding of business expenditure on R&D, broadband access, low corporate taxation, less restrictive regulations with respect to FDI and less complex business regulations”.

New high-value greenfield FDI by investor origin, 2003-2020 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Republic of Ireland

Northern Ireland EU investors

Great Britain

EU26

Non-EU investors

Sectoral composition of new high-value greenfield FDI, 2003-2020 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

With these determining factors in mind, the report examines a range of possible scenarios for enhancing the attractiveness of the island of Ireland with regard to FDI. The ESRI’s research “finds that the largest gains in terms of the number of high-value FDI projects that would be attracted to both [the Republic of] Ireland and Northern Ireland would be in the case of higher R&D expenditure in the public sector”, and in the case of the North that attractiveness would also be increased by “a situation of increased educational attainment of the workingage population”.

existing initiatives in Ireland such as the North-South Research Programme and the proposed all-island centres of research excellence are “likely to contribute to enhancing the attractiveness of both jurisdictions to high-value FDI”.

Another suggestion within is the development of “complementarities between the two jurisdictions”, particularly in regard to EU market potential, workplace skills and investment in R&D in the public sector. To this extent, the report notes, already

The report also estimates that plans for the Republic to move to a corporate tax rate of 15 per cent in line with global reform of corporate tax rates will result in the Republic suffering a decrease of 4.4 per cent per annum in high-value FDI, with the North, where the rate is 19 per

0% Republic of Ireland

Northern Ireland Services

Great Britain

EU26

Ma nufacturing

Source: ESRI

cent, experiencing a corresponding increase of 7.5 per cent per annum.

Policy choices that the ESRI suggest in order to compensate for the Republic’s decreased attractiveness upon the increase of the corporate tax rate include: increased R&D spend in the public sector; increased government funding of business R&D; and the incentivisation of higher proportions of the working-age population in participation in education and training and in the attainment of upper secondary and third-level education.

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Housing in 2021: Unprecedented scarcity Irish house prices rose by 7.7 per cent on average in 2021, a similar rate of inflation to 2020, but significant regional differences have also begun to emerge.

The latest Daft.ie figures show that housing prices rose by 7.7 per cent throughout the year 2021, reaching a price average of €290,998. This average was an increase of 0.6 per cent on the third quarter of 2021 and 21 per cent beneath the Celtic Tiger peak of house prices.

Notable among the figures for 2021 is the emergence of significant regional differences, with the smallest increases in prices being recorded in urban areas. Prices rose by 1.6 per cent in Galway city, 3.4 per cent in Dublin, 5.5 per cent in Cork city, 6.4 per cent in Limerick city and 7.5 per cent in Waterford city, but the areas outside of cities saw average increases of 11.5 per cent.

The largest increases were record in Connacht-Ulster (outside of Galway city), with increases of 14.6 per cent recorded for the year. Excluding Dublin, Leinster prices rose by 11.9 per cent and excluding the cities, Munster prices rose by 9.2 per cent.

This price inflation has in part been blamed on a lack of supply that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic; fewer than 11,500 homes were listed for sale on Daft.ie on 1 December 2021, the lowest total recorded since July 2006 and a 25 per cent decrease year-on-year. However, the 12-month total for

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properties advertised for sale on the same date was 54,000, the highest 12-month total since early 2020, but still below prepandemic levels of almost 70,000 homes.

With a lack of supply in the private market, those looking to the public sector for relief will have been disappointed by the January 2022 publication of a National Oversight and Audit Commission report that found that the State’s social housing portfolio had risen by less than 10,000 units from 2017 to 2020.

The rental market also experienced “unprecedented scarcity” in 2021, with an all-time low of homes available for rent recorded in both Daft’s third and fourth quarter rental reports. Just 1,460 homes were available to rent on the website on 1 November 2021, which dropped to 1,397 on 1 February 2022 in the fourth quarter report. This lack of supply caused a 10 per cent increase in rental prices on average across the State, marking the 37th consecutive quarter where rents were higher than they had been 12 months previous and the highest rate of inflation since early 2018. Again, these increases were felt most acutely outside of urban areas, with counties Mayo and Roscommon experiencing year-on-year average increases over 20 per cent, and Donegal and Leitrim recording increases of 24.3 per cent and 24.8 per cent respectively.

Emerging trends in infrastructure

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Emerging trends in infrastructure

Minister Michael McGrath TD: National Development Plan priorities for 2022 The National Development Plan (NDP) published in October 2021 represented the largest such plan in the history of the State. The initial period of its rollout will be pivotal in consolidating the progress already made, and most importantly, in delivering the infrastructure to support our future climate, social, and economic requirements, writes Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD. Effectively delivering on investment of this magnitude requires the necessary capacity in our construction sector, delivery-focused oversight and governance structures, the adoption of technology and sound public policy.

Reforms We have already put in place numerous reforms to support delivery, governance, and the implementation of capital projects and programmes. We have included professionals from industry early in the project lifecycle process to provide additional insight to support a rigorous decision-making process.

In December 2021, I announced the introduction of the new External Assurance Process (EAP) for major capital projects which allows independent external experts to scrutinise investment projects. To support the EAP, I have also established a new Major Projects Advisory Group (MPAG). The first meeting of the MPAG took place in January and will bring on board independent experts to further strengthen project management and support my department in its project assurance role.

The Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board, the core function of which is to track the delivery of projects, is comprised of the secretaries general of the main capital spending departments. There will almost certainly be delivery challenges as we ramp up investment. To respond to these challenges, the Board will focus on the delivery

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Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure

of infrastructure projects on time and on budget. The Government also provided in the NDP for the addition of up to five external members to the Board to bring additional expert knowledge and an enhanced challenge function to the deliberations of the Board.

infrastructure and construction report

Along with these reforms, we will continue to report on project delivery through the work of the National Investment Office (NIO) in my department. The NIO will collate data on the planning and delivery of projects through the MyProjectIreland investment tracker. Our publicly available and detailed tracker provides information on over 350 major capital projects across all regions and highlights the pipeline and progress of such projects. This monitoring is intended to show taxpayers that we are achieving value for money and improving project delivery.

Capacity and digital adoption Strengthening our governance and oversight structures is only one part of the measures we need to take. Ensuring that capacity in the construction sector is available to meet demands is one of our primary objectives for 2022. A competitive,

“The revised NDP published by the Government is a robust and ambitious plan that will have a transformative impact on this country’s climate, economic and social development.”

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD

dynamic, and sustainable construction sector is needed to build the infrastructure promised by our ambitious NDP. The Innovation and Digital Adoption Subgroup, as part of the wider Construction Sector Group (CSG), will play an active role in promoting this necessary initiative.

Following consultation with members of the CSG, several cross-cutting issues will be tackled in 2022. These include the improvement of procurement, the supporting of innovation and digital adoption through the Build Digital Project and the better engaging with government departments to put in place the required skills and expertise.

Innovation and digital adoption within the construction sector are being supported with a range of actions to be delivered using the Government’s collaborative approach and through continued engagement with industry representatives via the CSG. One such action is to improve delivery using digital technologies. In November 2021, I announced that a consortium led by TU Dublin would be awarded €2.5 million in grant funding over a five-year period to deliver the Build Digital Project. This project will provide guidance and leadership on the digital tools, standards and training required across the construction sector to increase productivity and sustainability.

The Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a €500 million fund being rolled out over the 10-year period of the NDP. A total of €235 million has been allocated to 72 projects over the three DTIF calls to date. The deadline for applications for a fourth call was 10 February 2022.

Enterprise Ireland, through the actions of the CSG Innovation and Digital Adoption Subgroup, will also establish a Construction Technology Centre in 2022 to identify the optimal consortium of research performing organisations in the Irish ecosystem that will deliver productivity and sustainability for the Irish construction sector.

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Emerging trends in infrastructure

infrastructure and construction report

In addition, the Supporting Excellence Action Team (SEAT) report, published alongside the NDP, examined the capability of the public service to deliver a largescale capital programme. The 34 actions included in the report will all be progressed in 2022 with the aim of boosting delivery capability in individual sectors, supporting excellence from the centre and improving coordination to support excellence on a system wide basis. Examples of measures include the development of the Office of Government Procurement’s Commercial Skills Academy, the further enhancement of our public procurement framework, as well as the introduction of new legal and planning reforms.

Conclusion The revised NDP published by the Government is a robust and ambitious plan that will have a transformative impact on this country’s climate, economic and social development. Our focus now must be on effective delivery of this investment. 2022 is a pivotal year in bringing forward critical reforms to remove bottlenecks in the system and to build capacity in both the public sector and private industry.

An innovative, dynamic, and responsive construction sector will be crucial in the delivery of the NDP. I will continue to support and engage with the sector to sharpen our focus on delivery throughout 2022 and help ensure success in our common endeavour. I am confident that working together we will meet the needs of our citizens in a way that supports our climate ambitions and our economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure

Digital twins: A digitally assured future for our infrastructure

infrastructure and construction report

Infrastructure organisations are renewing their efforts to digitalise. We are seeing data, analytics and new technologies being used to dramatically improve the planning cycle. We are seeing infrastructure owners and operators starting to build digital into their operations, from integrated asset management systems through to new payment systems, writes Jenna Davis, Associate Director of Infrastructure and Government at KPMG Ireland.

KPMG in collaboration with Centre for Digitally Built Britain produced a report

on the value of information in the construction sector that estimated the capex BIM savings to be 1.5 per cent-3 per cent and 7.5 per cent-14 per cent operational savings. These enabling benefits in an industry with slim margins are too great to be dismissed in the context of time, cost and risk.

support platform that need to be aligned

In developing a blueprint for a digital twin, organisations should be asking themselves what their role is, what decisions they need to make, what data capabilities do I need to achieve this, what organisational capabilities do I need to do this and then lastly what type of Digital Twin do I really need? What is key to any form of digital twin, as with any technology, is the capability of the people, supported by the necessary systems and controls, that need to use it. This applies to the end users and those who will manage the data processes.

only as good as the underpinning data

to business outcomes and any investment will need to be mindful of the pace technology development moves so organisations should develop a nimble approach that they can flex as new technologies come to market. And as with any digital tool, the digital twin is and information management framework; don’t just buy the shiny tech, invest in the people and data to truly

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Talk of digital twins is becoming common place however confusion remains over what a digital twin is and therefore what is the right route for organisations to develop their digital twin capability. This is unsurprising as the answer is that a digital twin is a digital representation of your assets or network and representation is just that.

Whilst it could be a fully digitally interactive or even virtual reality multidimensional physical model embedded with IoT sensors and asset service history, it may also be a performance simulation of how your infrastructure, or just critical parts of it performs that is modelled on entirely different parameters than the physical design. It may encompass other forms of digital planning or decision support tools across key aspects of the business such as capital portfolio planning and management based on project data.

enable a digital future.

E: jenna.davis@kpmg.ie W: www.kpmg.ie

Digital twins are a powerful decision 35

Emerging trends in infrastructure

Achieving sustainable infrastructure through asset management infrastructure – at least as it may have been conceived or indeed approved only a short time ago.

infrastructure and construction report

The good news is that the principles that define asset management are key to making the necessary decisions but changes from the traditional approaches and decision support tools are needed.

The principles of asset management are key to making the necessary investment decisions to transition to sustainable infrastructure but changes from traditional to whole life costing approaches and agility to cope with short- and long-term changes are needed, writes Matthew King, Head of Infrastructure Asset Management, Director Infrastructure and Government at KPMG Ireland.

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Asset management has long been the practice of balancing investment decisions across the creation of infrastructure assets and the management of existing ones to achieve the best value over the life of the assets.

Historically there have often been competing outcomes that require value and outcome objectives to be balanced against cost. However, whilst some industries have long had environmental performance objectives, the imperative to consider the full suite of ESG is now clear to all. Environmental factors and governance practices have long been discussed by the infrastructure sector.

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It is the social focus where the balance of economics and engineering now come to the fore; how do we appraise the social benefits of investment in tandem with the asset lifecycle? Asset management principles aid this dynamic by setting the strategic objectives so that the line of sight to specific assets in operation is clear and aligned. As such, asset management becomes a tool to deliver sustainable infrastructure, with the societal benefits as a key measure.

Furthermore, we are in a period of seismic change driven by climate change, the pandemic and global political and economic patterns. How we live, work, travel has changed and whilst we do not know how much of the change will stay for the long term, the demand on our existing infrastructure has changed and questions are raised on the investment case for new

•

Our infrastructure systems are more connected than ever, and these connections are fundamental to achieving sustainable infrastructure.

At the national level, strategies and government policy are needed to foster collaboration across industries and joined up planning and decision making.

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Whole lifecycle costing to inform the capital injections needed to achieve sustainability targets.

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Asset policies to deliver on sustainable strategies consistently across sectors.

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The balance between opex and capex – how to use existing infrastructure effectively in the circular economy.

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What is the return on investment on capex vs opex funding? How benefits are defined and measured is key and needs to be consistent.

Capex could need longer term incentives to drive the right behaviours and decisions in construction.

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Future proofing – integration of new assets and manage asset obsolesce proactively and responsibly.

Ireland has a maturing asset management capability complimented by the growing capital projects capability to deliver the Project Ireland 2040. With these skills and ambition, the infrastructure sector will be an important catalyst, and needs to be ready to take on the challenge and lead the change at the most senior level in our infrastructure organisations.

E: matthew.king@kpmg.ie W: www.kpmg.ie

Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure

Beyond the business case: The transition to delivery needed to bridge the skills gap. Public entities will also need to review their internal capability to evolve from planning teams to capital project managers leading the execution stages.

Intelligent KPIs

Complex and major projects can take over a decade to cycle through inception, detailed design, and delivery to get to the operational phases.

Societal needs, uncertainty of future demand as climate change progresses, and significant world events such as a pandemic add layers of challenge to large scale infrastructure projects as these drive changes in need over that time. The ability to manage change and remain agile as projects transition from design to delivery will be the differentiating factor for successful infrastructure investment going forward.

To achieve the ambitions of Project Ireland 2040, as detailed in the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the National Development Plan (NDP), there are three key aspects to consider to ensure appropriate governance yet enable agility:

Complex capital projects require a multitude of resource and expertise with the sector. Procurement strategies developed as part of the initial business case stages should be regularly reviewed to identify gaps and opportunities to further align with the current supply chain environment and updated NDP. There is also a need to ensure an external assurance process (Update of the Public Spending Code: Guidelines for the External Assurance Process for Major Public Investment Projects; effective 17 November 2021) is included as part of any contracting arrangements.

Public and private engagement Public entities at a national and local level, such as government departments, local authorities, state agencies, devolved agencies, semi-state companies and approved independent bodies are all responsible for the delivery of capital programmes. These entities need to work with the supply chain to communicate the increased capability and capacity needs with realistic timetables to allow enough time to plan, upskill and respond to project tenders without potential delay to execution. A strategic procurement strategy that engages the private sector early at home and abroad will be

The overriding theme for publicly funded major capital projects will be managing transition and change. Transition from planning to execution will see change in terms of what was planned, sector change in the demand for more skills and people; and change in what is actually needed now. Smart procurement, clear communication and meaningful measures will allow the ability to anticipate change and react effectively to manage the outcomes.

These changes could manifest as scope variations or amendments to government policy or new regulation.

Infrastructure projects are long term investments delivered often over decades. We must be agile to avoid under delivery on the outcomes that Ireland needs from its infrastructure and at the same time exercise appropriate governance and change processes to oversee them.

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The Public Spending Code also brought in significant changes to the governance over project development and project delivery. That will delay project development, but it is making sure projects being brought to market will have more developed scopes and more realistic cost estimates. We need to ensure that it also allows projects to remain agile and responsive to societal changes. Governance needs to be made to work effectively for the project and be seen as a positive agent for change for the better.

Strategic procurement

infrastructure and construction report

The Public Spending Code (PSC) was first published in 2013 as a structure to ensure value for money in public expenditure particularly in major infrastructure projects, writes Jenna Davis, Associate Director of Infrastructure and Government at KPMG Ireland.

Key performance measures form the structure of effective governance in project delivery. To understand the actual status and performance of a delivery team, KPI measures on schedule, costs and risk are needed but measures that reflect progress towards meeting the ultimate objective of the project will maintain clarity for decision making, particularly at board level. You can have a project delivered on time and on budget, but we also need a stand back to make sure it has met the need identified in the first place. These measures need to be incorporated at procurement stages so that external assurance throughout can be applied effectively to add insight during delivery and as part of a post execution review.

E: jenna.davis@kpmg.ie W: www.kpmg.ie

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infrastructure and construction report

Emerging trends in infrastructure

Accelerating the delivery of new affordable homes John Coleman, Chief Executive of the Land Development Agency (LDA), speaks to eolas about the LDA’s growth, its plans for 2022 and the hopes of building over 5,000 new affordable and cost rental homes under Project Tosaigh.

Coleman begins by tracking the progress of the LDA since its foundation on an interim basis in 2018: “We started off with no staff, no office, no infrastructure, and we have built a reasonably good platform now where we have advanced to 60 staff, and we have advanced sites through the various stages of the development process with the aim of starting construction for 862 homes in 2022.”

With a broader portfolio of roughly 5,000 homes, the LDA are advancing their process on state and local authority lands in partnership with local authorities. They have also targeted a separate 5,000 homes through Project Tosaigh, which “expands and accelerates our ambitions in the affordable space”, Coleman says.

“We have increased the site portfolio significantly; at launch we had promises of sites that could yield around 3,000 homes, and between Project Tosaigh, 38

our current developments and land transfers under Housing for All (HfA), we think that site capacity is now around 25,000,” Coleman says. “The LDA was set up in the first place as a land assembler longer-term and between HfA land transfer announcements and active areas, which are focused on design, master planning and problem solving around infrastructure, we have three strategic areas in our portfolio: Limerick Colbert Station, Sandy Road in Galway, and the Digital Hub in Dublin, with more planned in the future.”

In the short term, the LDA is focused on the delivery of affordable and cost rental housing on state lands; their longer-term plans consist of land assembly and the coherent delivery of larger scale strategic areas for sustainable development and regeneration. Coleman details their 2022 plans, where it is hoped that two development projects will progress to site, and five planning

Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure

Planning activity in Dundrum, Balbriggan, Skerries and Devoy covers roughly 2,400 homes, once lodged this will be followed by St Theresa’s Gardens. Design teams are at work on Cherry Orchard and Cromcastle, to be built in partnership with Dublin City Council, and Dyke Road in partnership with Galway City Council.

“This is an emerging theme; we have very close working relationships with local authorities which are critical to the LDA’s work,” Coleman says.

Work in Shanganagh in south Dublin “should” commence later this year, with construction tender returns being evaluated at the moment. When completed, the project will deliver 597 social and affordable BER A-rated homes, 306 of which will be cost rental.

The St Kevin’s site in Cork, currently going through prequalification for the construction tender, will commence enabling work this year on a scheme that will deliver 264 homes.

These are not the only projects in the LDA’s sights: “There are 10 sites that are that can yield about 5,000 homes across Dublin, Mullingar, Naas, Galway, Limerick and Cork, depending on what we can get through the planning system,” Coleman says.

Delivering these houses comes with a total focus on affordable housing, Coleman says, a focus that has been a significant shift since the current government took office. “What that looks like to us is that we are trying to roughly land at one-third of a person’s net income,” he says. “In terms of the market in a place like Shanganagh, that means a 25-30 per cent reduction on market rates. There are good discounts compared to the market, but we are focused on affordability rather than pegging ourselves to the market.

“We think about this in terms of deciles of income; we are not there to target the ninth and tenth deciles, we think they

can cover their own costs, and we are not targeting those who qualify for social housing either, it is those that are squeezed in the middle that do not qualify for anything.”

With its mandate on state lands, Coleman estimates that the LDA could deliver 2,500 homes by 2026, but instead is looking to treble this target by engaging in Project Tosaigh and leveraging the private sector to bring its land into the affordable housing net. “In Housing for All, we had a number of empowerments, including increased spending capacity because of the increased debt ceiling that has been allocated to the LDA, we have a number of additional lands that will look at the land assembly section of the LDA, but most significant was the launch of Project Tosaigh,” Coleman says.

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applications to deliver almost 3,000 homes will be lodged. The LDA’s hope is that some of these plans will have started construction by 2024. It plans on commencing two strategic area masterplans, in Inchicore and the Digital Hub, which has been transferred to the LDA, later this year. Through Project Tosaigh strategic partnerships, the LDA plans to deliver “about” 5,000 homes over the term of the initiative, from 2022 to 2026.

“We are targeting working in partnership with house builders that have the ability to deliver at scale and that have access to land by way of funding arrangements and contracting arrangements to secure 5,000 homes over a four-year period. We are targeting delivery as early as 2022.

5,000 over four years is possible; we think we will have a bias towards cost rental and when the dust settles on the various proposals that is where a lot of them will land. The current process is based on forward purchase agreements, which is a commitment to purchase at a certain price point in the future, but we will be interested in the future in bringing forward more innovative procurement methodologies to facilitate other types of arrangements with builders and delivery partners.”

Concluding, Coleman focuses on the LDA’s strengths and how they can work with other partners in affordable housing delivery: “The strengths of the LDA are delivery, capability, and a project management platform. We have the legislative mandate to open up state lands. Typically, state lands are under some other use such as train stations etcetera, but local authorities have land for housing and that is why they are such a critical partner in our delivery trajectory. The LDA has no track record in operating or delivering to the client aside from the emerging construction side of things, the AHBs have a credibility and trust in terms of that delivery and there is really strong potential for that to be levered to everyone’s benefit into the future.”

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Affordable purchase and cost rental: The role of The Housing Agency infrastructure and construction report

two new options are summarised in Figure 1.

Housing Agency CEO, Bob Jordan.

Significant work is underway to deliver affordable housing at scale. The Affordable Housing Act 2021 represents the first standalone affordable housing legislation in Ireland, while Housing for All, the Government's new housing plan for Ireland, outlines a commitment to supporting homeownership and increasing affordability. Bob Jordan, CEO of The Housing Agency, discusses two key means by which these objectives will be achieved: affordable purchase and cost rental.

Government policy is committed to making available housing that is affordable for households across a wide range of income groups. The Affordable Housing Act 2021 provides for two affordable purchase schemes. These

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Figure 1

seek to address the affordability gap that exists for moderate income households who are constrained from accessing sufficient finance to purchase homes at open market prices.

Primarily aimed at first time buyers, the

The Local Authority-led Affordable Dwelling Purchase Arrangement will allow local authorities with affordability issues to offer homes for sale.

Affordable homes will be developed by local authorities or in partnership with approved housing bodies (housing associations), the Land Development Agency and housing developers. The discount from the open market value will be achieved by a combination of lowcost land and other specific State funding. The local authority will hold an equity share equal to the percentage discount on the open market value and the affordable homes will be offered for sale to eligible households.

“We know that the current mortgage lending rules, three-and-a-half times an individual or couple’s gross annual income, does not bring some people far enough up to be able to buy a property on the open market, so the idea of the equity share is to bridge that gap,” Jordan says. “The idea is to enable firsttime buyers to enter the market and to enable local authorities to produce homes at a price people can afford in their own area, at least 15 per cent below the purchase price on the open market.”

The First Home national shared equity scheme will be operated in cooperation with participating banks. Eligible purchasers will be able to buy new homes for sale on the open market that are below the relevant location-based price caps. An equity share will be available to an eligible purchaser where there is a shortfall between their mortgage capacity and the new home price. The equity share will be owned by a special purpose vehicle jointly funded and overseen by the participating banks and the State. The equity share can be bought out at any time and an annual charge will apply after year five to the equity share value.

An example of how the shared equity schemes will work can be seen in Figure 2.

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Cost rental

“Cost rental is hugely important, as it might well represent a once in a generation oppportunity to introduce a new form of tenure in Ireland,” Jordan says. “Back in 2004, NESC recommended the introduction of cost rental in Ireland, so this has been a long journey. What makes cost rental different is that it’s about rents based on the costs of construction, management and maintenance of the house. The idea is obviously that those rents would be far less than the market rents and would certainly be starting out at 25 per cent below market.

The overall aim is to have homes available for rent at levels that are substantially below market rent while sufficient to meet the financing and ongoing management and maintenance costs for the owner. The Minister for

Overview of the Enniskerry Road Cost Rental housing scheme. In September 2021 the applications process began for 50 purpose-built cost rental homes at Enniskerry Road, Stepaside, Dublin. These cost rental homes will be managed by Respond and Tuath Housing and are being delivered on land provided by The Housing Agency under the land aggregation scheme.

Figure 2

Housing has approved Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding for the initial cost rental homes to be delivered by approved housing bodies over the next year. The Housing Agency is playing a key role here by providing the CREL funding as a secondary loan for 30 per cent of the capital cost, with the Housing Finance Agency funding the balance of 70 per cent. The Housing Agency is also facilitating the delivery of cost rental homes by two approved housing bodies, Respond and Tuath, on public land, in partnership with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Homes must be designated as cost rental dwellings for a minimum period of 40 years with rents calculated to cover the cost of housing delivery, finance, management and long-term maintenance.

income eligibility criteria. They will be provided unfurnished, although they will be comparable to private rental homes in all other respects.

The new legislation now in place will drive the delivery of affordable homes for purchase and to rent.

Jordan concludes: “There is a strong government commitment to increasing capacity and expertise in the housing sector. We’re building public confidence and understanding, bringing in new providers. We at The Housing Agency are excited to be playing our part in this journey.”

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“It’s a success story all over Europe.

The idea is that delivering cost rental at scale will have a moderating effect on overall market rents. Recently the Housing Agency and Housing Europe produced a study of three countries where it has been very successful: Austria, Denmark, and Finland. In those countries there’s a very large stock of cost rental accommodation: 17 per cent in Austria, and 20 per cent in both Denmark and Finland. These are very successful examples from which we have a lot to learn.”

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Home ownership can often be the focus for affordable housing. However, a key element of achieving affordable housing in many countries is the development of a cost rental sector. Over time, this approach can provide a significant amount of housing that offers a more affordable option to many households. It is a more sustainable rental model where homes and rental income flows can be used to leverage further investment. The Act contains provisions to facilitate delivery of cost rental housing which will be developed mainly by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency. The establishment of the cost rental model is intended to promote an increased supply of affordable rental homes in areas where there is a high demand for housing. The Housing Agency has been central to developing a vision for cost rental in Ireland. We promoted the concept to policymakers in the Irish housing sector when we cohosted an exhibition on the Vienna model of cost rental with Dublin City Council in 2019.

T: 01 656 4100 E: communications@housingagency.ie W: www.housingagency.ie

Cost rental homes will be available for rent to households who meet specific 41

infrastructure and construction report

Credit: Réseau de Transport d’Électricité

Emerging trends in infrastructure

The major projects of the National Development Plan The revised National Development Plan (NDP) published in October 2021 will invest €165 billion in Irish infrastructure over its lifetime. eolas outlines the major projects within the plan, and what is expected to be delivered in 2022.

In 2022, Ireland’s total capital expenditure will rise to €14 billion from 2021’s €12.7 billion. Core exchequer investment as a share of GNI* will rise to 4.8 per cent from 2021’s level of 4.5 per cent, totalling €11.1 billion, with non-exchequer funding accounting for the remaining €2.9 billion. This rise in exchequer funding represents an increase of €1.3 billion from 2021. Housing, transport, and health will be the bestfunded sectors of the year, receiving €3.4 billion, €2.5 billion, and €1.01 billion in gross voted capital allocations respectively.

Cost categories for projects within the NDP range from A (€20 million-€50 million) to F (over €1 billion). There are five projects mentioned in the revised NDP with cost category F status: the protection and renewal of national roads; the National Broadband Plan; MetroLink; the Celtic Interconnector; and the Western Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region.

National Broadband Plan The rollout of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) commenced in 2020, with delivery planned to be completed by 2027. The plan seeks to connect over 544,000 premises not covered by commercial operators with high-speed broadband, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms and 700 schools. In the 2010s, it was mooted that the NDP would cost an estimated €500 million but by 2019 National Broadband Ireland won the tender for a €3 billion contract.

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In its winter update on the rollout of the NBP, issued on 22 December 2021, the Government said that the Covid

pandemic had “impacted the rollout of the NBP in the first half of the year”, but that rollout had “picked up the pace in the second half of 2021 and some 54,000 premises will be available for order or pre-order at year end”. More than 1,200 orders had been placed, with premises pending connection, at the time of the update. 4,600 premises had been connected to the network up to that point.

282,000 premises have also been surveyed, with 232,000 designs received and construction begun on 150,000 premises. While localities wait for broadband to be delivered to their homes, 262 Broadband Connection Points (BCPs), wireless connectivity hubs in communities awaiting rollout, have been installed and are ready for connection, with 234 of these live on the high-speed network.

Celtic Interconnector The Celtic Interconnector is the proposed 700MW electricity interconnector between Brittany, France and east Cork, which will have an annual transmission capacity of 6.1 TWh. The project, which is being developed by Ireland’s Transmission System Operator, EirGrid and France’s Réseau de Transporte d’Électricité, is expected to be completed in 2026 and will be Ireland’s largest electricity interconnector.

Following on from Brexit, the successful connection of the project will allow Ireland to once again have direct electricity interconnection with the remainder of the EU Internal Energy Market and enhance “market competition and security of electricity supply, to the benefit of Irish and French

Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure

Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region The Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region (WSP-EMR) will abstract water from the lower River Shannon at Parteen Basin in Tipperary, with water treatment at Birdhill, and carry the water to a reservoir in Peamount, Dublin in order to connect water supply to the Greater Dublin Area and other areas such as Newport, Borrisokane, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Navan, Drogheda and more.

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electricity customers”. It will also allow Ireland to provide direct export of its surplus renewable energy to Europe, along with a reduction in curtailment of wind generation in Ireland.

The project is currently in the pre-planning and design stage, with both the over €1 billion estimated cost and the estimated completion date of 2030 offered with the caveats that they are preliminary and will be “reviewed and refreshed as the project progresses through the planning and procurement processes”.

The project, which will “meet the future water supply needs for housing, commercial and industrial growth in an area comprising 40 per cent of Ireland’s population”, is said in the NDP to have already gone through non-statutory public consultation, with further statutory public consultation to take place before it is submitted to An Bord Pleanála for planning permission.

NDP actions due for completion in 2022 •

Finalisation of recommendations by Public Private Partnership Steering Group on existing treatment of PPPs by end of Q2

•

Development of a new National Cycling Network Strategy by year-end

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Opening of greenways financed under the Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways to begin and continue until 2024

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Issuance of the final report of the Strategic Rail Review

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Construction of the N5 Westport to Turlough road, to be completed in Q4

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Fishery development projects in Castletownbere, Howth and Killybegs all “to be complete in early 2022”

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New Seafood Development Programme 2021-2027 to launch with €142 million EU funding

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New specialist marine vessel commissioned by the Marine Institute to be fully operational by autumn

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The majority of the 200 school building projects built under the Department of Education’s school building programme to be completed

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Announcement of successful projects under the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme, due in Q1

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The entering into service of the new Dublin Airport runway

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Capacity extension at Shannon Foynes and completion of the Alexander Basin redevelopment

•

€202 million of carbon tax revenue to fund the SEAI’s residential and community retrofit schemes 43

infrastructure and construction report

Sustainability and climate action at the heart of key NDP-funded OPW projects resourcing project delivery under the NDP, the organisation has also taken a number of important initiatives to “gearup” for this challenge. Within the overall framework of the Civil Service Renewal Programme (CSR 2030), the OPW has streamlined its organisational structures, improved its project governance arrangements, invested in upskilling its workforce and embraced a number of ICT initiatives to improve organisational productivity.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has one of the largest and most diverse property portfolios in the State, including over 2,000 buildings that range from some of the most recognisable properties in the country, such as Dublin Castle or Leinster House, to Garda stations and government offices. The OPW also has a lead role in managing flood risk and providing project management expertise to a number of client departments and agencies.

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The breadth of the organisation’s responsibilities is reflected in the number, nature and scale of the projects that fall to it to deliver under the National Development Plan (NDP) covering the period 2021-2030.

When the NDP was published last autumn, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works Patrick O’Donovan TD noted that the OPW would be managing projects and programmes to the value of €4 billion through its own vote and on an agency basis on behalf of clients. The Minister also highlighted the OPW’s evolving role as a leader in the transition 44

to a sustainable, low-carbon, resourceefficient economy. He noted that a key objective for the OPW, in delivering important public infrastructure under the NDP, was to “advance sustainable solutions that mitigate against the effects of climate change”.

The investment of some €4 billion represents a doubling in value of the existing level of capital investments within the remit of the OPW. This will present a significant challenge to the organisation’s capacity and Minister O’Donovan explained that, as well as actively engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on

As a result, the Minister has expressed his full confidence that the OPW is wellpositioned to deliver on its commitments under the NDP, in a manner that is fully aligned with the Government’s policies on climate action and sustainability. In this context, the overall purpose of the €1 billion investment earmarked for the Flood Risk Management area involves works to protect communities across Ireland from the impacts of climate change through future-proofed, adaptable flood risk management schemes.

The OPW will be investing a further €1.4 billion in State properties that will support key climate action targets by increasing the energy efficiency of the State’s office accommodation portfolio. Office accommodation investment will also involve the creation of more agile, digitally enabled, and predominantly open plan working environments. They will incorporate more collaborative spaces and significantly reduce the use of cellular offices so as to facilitate the evolving operational requirements of government departments.

This investment includes works to heritage sites nationwide to protect and promote the State’s built and archaeological heritage through sensitive conservation, refurbishment and animation for the enjoyment of current and future generations.

The balance of around €1.6 billion will involve the OPW in managing a wide range of projects for client departments and agencies. Investment will include

works to major cultural institutions, a large infrastructure project at Rosslare Europort, and a new Forensic Science Laboratory in the Backweston Campus in County Kildare. Under the Garda Capital Programme a significant number of projects will be delivered, including the Military Road complex in Dublin.

Investment in some heritage sites will be co-funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media, through Fáilte Ireland.

future-proofed

Flood Relief Schemes

from flood risk in 150 schemes

The largest flood relief investment project ever proposed in Ireland is the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme, representing over €140 million of investment for Cork City. It will protect 2,100 properties from tidal and fluvial flooding.

Investment in the OPW Estate (€1.4 billion) The investment will: •

•

fit-out of accommodation (€100 million);

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meet a range of complementary objectives within the Heritage Estate (€200 million) for the conservation and presentation of historic buildings and sites, including collaboration with Fáilte Ireland for co-funding of particular projects under the Tourism Investment Programme;

€40m invested in the Tourism Investment Programme to improve

River Lee scheme is the largest flood relief investment project ever proposed in Ireland

€986 million

€300 million on new build projects including Hawkins House, Leeson Lane and Backweston Data Centre €100 million on office fit-outs

€840 million

•

meet obligations under the Convention Centre Dublin Public Private Partnership Agreement (€250 million); and

•

facilitate property acquisitions and disbursement of grants (€80 million).

The OPW will oversee the construction of major new energy efficient office developments on the site of the old Hawkins House, on Leeson Lane and a shared Government Data Centre at the Backweston Campus in County Kildare.

The shared Government Data Centre will be fitted with connections that will allow it to be powered by renewable energy from a potential future solar farm on site, and will facilitate the decommissioning of existing facilities that are much less energy efficient and are no longer fit for purpose.

A flagship project under the Energy Retrofit Programme is the refurbishment of Tom Johnson House in Dublin, which was constructed in the 1970s. The works undertaken will extend the useful life of the building and transform it into an exemplary, energy-efficient headquarters for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. A 75 per cent reduction of annual energy use will be achieved and most of the cost of around €50 million will be met from the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Fund (NRRP).

Investment in the Heritage Estate will enable the OPW to commence the implementation of Master Plans for the Phoenix Park and Dublin Castle to meet the twin objectives of improving accessibility to, and enhancing the visitor

the State owned heritage estate with €40m for the Phoenix Park and €20m in Dublin Castle for the benefit of visitors

€200 million

experience at both locations. Some of the key infrastructural works to improve accessibility to the park include creating new and upgrading existing cycling and walking routes and road improvement works.

Restoration and upgrade works at the Magazine Fort and Phoenix Park Visitor Centre will also be undertaken to further improve the visitor experience at the park.

Investment in Dublin Castle will build on the recent redevelopment of the medieval Record Tower and the planned refurbishment of the visitor reception.

Some of the key elements of the Masterplan for Dublin Castle will include: •

a new interpretation space, in the East Cross-Block, will tell the story of the building during the revolutionary period, from 1916 to 1922;

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upgrading the public realm, particularly the Lower Castle Yard to enhance the accessibility of the site to all visitors; and

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a new museum space will tell the 800-year history of Dublin Castle through objects in the OPW’s collection, archaeological finds from the site and long-term loans from other national cultural institutions.

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address EU and Government climate change obligations to significantly reduce the estate’s carbon footprint through investment in new builds (€300 million), Property Obsolescence Programme, covering building fabric, energy and systems upgrades (€440 million);

€440 million to decarbonise and increase energy efficiency of State offices by 50%

conserving our

Built and Natural Heritage

visitor infrastructure and by the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme with an investment of over €140m

Communities threatened from river and coastal flood risk will see investment in some 150 flood relief schemes progressed over the lifetime of the NDP, protecting approximately 23,000 properties.

All flood relief schemes are designed to be adaptable to the impacts of climate change scenarios, including identifying locations in the scheme’s contributing catchment where there may be opportunities to implement Natural Water Retention Measures. These can comprise a broad range of multifunctioning measures that use natural processes and features to reduce flood risk, improve water quality and create habitats.

State’s Property

infrastructure and construction report

Flood risk management schemes (€1 billion)

Increasing the energy efficiency of the

T: (046) 942 2000 E: info@opw.ie W: www.gov.ie/opw

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Emerging trends in infrastructure

infrastructure and construction report

Transport and the National Development Plan Transport is the sector that will receive the second highest amount of gross voted capital allocation over the first five years of the newly revised National Development Plan (NDP), receiving €13 billion from 2021 to 2025. eolas examines the projects that this central finance will fund.

Of the five projects within the newly revised NDP stated as having an estimated cost category of F (over €1 billion), two fall within the transport sector: the programme for regional and local road protection and renewal and the delivery of the MetroLink mass rapid transit rail line.

The renewal and protection of regional and local roads is an annual programme of works whose estimated cost category of over €1 billion is given for the period 2021-2025. The NDP states that the highest priority for this investment is to “maintain the asset through the protection and renewal of the network of some 96,000km”. The investment is to be delivered through targeted Department of Transport funding to local authorities covering areas such as: restoration maintenance; restoration improvement; discretionary works such as repairs and routine maintenance; drainage works; climate adaptation and resilience works; safety related works; training; and winter maintenance.

In addition to maintenance works, the improvement of the local and regional road network is also said to be a priority of the NDP, with projects completed

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thus far including the Sallins Bypass, the Bettystown to Laytown regional road, the Portlaoise Southern Distributor Road and the Daingean Uí Chúis Relief Road. The Carrigaline Western Relief Road and the Coonagh to Knockalisheen project are currently under construction, while construction is due to begin on a number of projects such as the Tralee Northern Relief Road, the Shannon Crossing/Killaloe Bypass and the Athy Southern Distributor Road.

The National Roads Programme contains 39 road-building projects, some of which are currently under construction, some still awaiting further approvals. These include projects the length and width of the State such as the N56 from An Clochán Liath to Glenties, the N22 from Baile Bhúirne to Macroom, the M20 Cork to Limerick, the N6 Galway City Ring Road, the N4 Mullingar to Longford, the M4 Leixlip to Maynooth, the M11 capacity enhancement and the N11/N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour.

The second of the category F transport projects, the MetroLink, is less clear in the plans included in the NDP. Its current status is given as being in the

Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure

The NDP states that once completed, the MetroLink “will provide a sustainable, safe, efficient, integrated and accessible public transport service between Swords, Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre” and that the project will “support approximately 8,000 direct construction jobs” and “carry around 53 million passengers in its opening year and create new connections between 127 schools, three third-level institutions and five hospitals”.

In related commuter rail plans, the plan’s investment in public transport

of a new Limerick commuter rail network”. Major upgrade works over the lifetime of the NDP will also take place in Ceannt and Colbert stations, along with the building of a new train station and transport hub in Waterford.

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preliminary business case, with an estimated completion date simply left as TBC, meaning that its completion before 2030 seemed unlikely upon the publication of the new NDP, a feeling that was then confirmed by the publication of the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) draft strategy in November 2021. The project, whose cost estimates are now as high as €10 billion, is not set to be complete until at least 2035 “at best” according to Fianna Fáil TD Paul McAuliffe.

From a sustainability point of view, one of the more notable transport projects within the NDP is the ongoing implementation of greener and cleaner bus fleets, which began rollout in 2021 and is due to last until 2025, with an estimate cost of €500 million-€1 billion.

The NDP states that the NTA has “commenced the transition of the urban PSO bus fleet from diesel only vehicles to lower emission vehicles”.

Actions taken since July 2021 include: ordering 280 hybrid electric buses, 89 of which were in service at the time of the NDP’s publication; procurement of a framework for the delivery of up to 200 single deck electric buses with the intention of converting Athlone’s entire urban bus fleet to electric by Q2 2022; the delivery of a framework for up to 800 double deck electric buses, which

MetroLink, the cost estimates of which are now as high as €10 billion is not set to be complete until at least 2035. includes the Cork Commuter Rail Programme, which will run from Mallow to Midleton and Cobh, targeting a 10minute all-day frequency on electrified rail services. Phase one of the project is due to be completed in 2026 and is due to cost €185 million to “address the existing bottleneck in the city centre by enabling the creating of a suburban rail network”. Phase two of the programme is due to commence this year with early development, with delivery scheduled for the “latter period” of the NDP, i.e., post-2026.

Further regional city commuter rail programmes are planned for Galway and Limerick, with “significant track and station works proposed for Oranmore and Athenry as well as the development

are to enter operation in 2023; and the procurement of three hydrogen fuel cell double deck buses to be used in a hydrogen pilot. By 2025, it is “expected that over 50 per cent of the urban PSO bus fleet will be converted from diesel to low and zero emission vehicles, with 30 per cent of the bus fleet being zero emission”.

Indeed, the transport plans within the NDP will play a significant role in Ireland’s decarbonisation, with every major programme other than the National Roads Programme (given a C) given a climate and environmental assessment grade of A, meaning that they are “likely to have, on balance, a favourable impact on climate and environmental outcomes”.

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Price volatility in construction contracts: No topping out in sight

infrastructure and construction report

highest ever levels of tender prices.

AECOM (Ireland Annual Review 2022) expects an average tender inflation price of 5 per cent for 2022, while Deloitte (Q2 Industry Review 2021) states that the uncertainty of costs is making it increasingly harder for the industry to forecast developments.

While the recent increases in the cost of materials have been “unprecedented”, managing price fluctuations in a contractual context is not a new concept. To mitigate these challenges in public works contracts, the Office of Government Procurement has recently published an interim suite of amendments, including:

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As 2022 unfolds, there is cautious optimism in the construction industry that the resilience displayed over the last two years will manifest in a strong recovery, with output projected by AECOM to grow by 18.5 per cent this year, from €27 billion to €32 billion.

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Despite falling to an eight-month low of 53.7 in December 2021, the Ulster Bank Construction PMI still indicates growth, albeit at a much slower rate. A more balanced increase this year is welcome, to prevent marginal projects from becoming unviable.

•

Optimism is tempered by increased demands on the industry to expand and deliver on the ambitious targets set out in the National Development Plan while battling the pre-pandemic pressure points exacerbated by Covid-19 and Brexit:

From 1 February 2022, new minimum rates of pay will come into force under SEO 703/2021 (Electrical Contracting Sector) and SEO 598/2021 (amending SEO 234/2019) (Construction Sector).

Industry analysts have predicted that these factors will lead to some of the

the significant increase in the cost of materials;

•

supply chain constraints;

•

lack of skilled labour; and

•

a fall in registrations for apprenticeships.

•

an indexation mechanism for PWCF1 to PW-CF6; and

•

amendments to the price variation clauses in PW-CF1 to PW-CF5 to reduce the Base Date from 30 to 24 months and to adjust the threshold for exceptional material price increases from 50 per cent to 15 per cent.

In the private sector, collaboration remains key.

Our key takeaways for projects already underway are for parties to maintain an open dialogue and to have a thorough understanding of your existing contract to proactively mitigate the impact of material price increases. We are seeing more negotiation in the industry around price volatility clauses and the building of long lead orders into the contract structure. In the pre-contract stage, parties should clarify how long and to what extent a contractor’s tender should be considered binding.

For further information or advice, please contact Matheson’s Construction and Engineering team: www.matheson.com/services/construc tion-and-engineering

infrastructure and construction report

Emerging trends in infrastructure

NDP: Capital expenditure Published in October 2021, the new National Development Plan (NDP) is heralded as proof of the Government’s commitment to Ireland’s mediumterm infrastructure and investment requirements.

Review to Renew, a review of the NDP was undertaken with the aim of ensuring optimal alignment with the new Programme for Government, the new Climate Action Plan, and the National Planning Framework (NPF).

As a component of Project Ireland 2040, the NDP outlines €165 billion in capital expenditure for the next decade, seeking to match the demand for public investment across all sectors, particularly in terms of enhanced delivery of infrastructure projects in housing, health, and the environment and climate. In parallel, the NPF establishes the national spatial strategy for the next two decades.

Overall, there will be a 14 per cent increase (€1.3 billion) on voted capital expenditure in 2022, including €0.2 billion for National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) projects, when compared with 2021. In total, Budget 50

2022 indicates that it will make available €11.1 billion through the NDP, alongside additional non-Exchequer investment.

As such, budgeted capital expenditure is set to more than double in 2022 when compared with the €4.6 billion pre-NDP position in 2017. Annual capital expenditure is projected to exceed €16 billion by 2030 and from 2021 to 2030, total Exchequer investment through the NDP will be €136 billion.

Initiating an increase in voted capital expenditure to 5 per cent of GNI* by 2025, core capital expenditure in 2022 will increase by 11.1 per cent (€1.1 billion) on the 2021 allocation (€9.8 billion) as outlined in the July 2021 MidYear Expenditure Report.

Previously, in 2021, 75 per cent of the €10.8 billion capital allocation was concentrated in four sectors:

•

27.4 per cent (€2,766 million) in housing;

•

25.1 per cent (€2,528 million) in transport;

•

12.3 per cent (€1,241 million) in education; and

•

10.4 per cent (€1,048 million) in health.

The Shared Island Initiative will also receive capital funding totalling €500 million over five years. This allocation is intended to “foster new investment and development opportunities on a North/South basis” and deliver crossborder objectives included in the Programme for Government. As such, in 2022, €50 million will be allocated to departments and agencies to facilitate cross-border projects. Meanwhile, capital allocations for 2022 also include €206 million via the NRRP.

Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure “The revised NDP will deliver the largest and greenest capital investment plan in the history of the State.”

“The new NDP is somewhat hard to distinguish from the old one.”

The ESRI’s COre Structural MOdel of the Irish economy (COSMO) projects that the planned increase in capital expenditure from 2021 onwards, as contained in the NDP, will result in GDP increasing by 1.6 per cent by 2030, employment increasing by 3.0 per cent by 2030, and wages to increase by 3.1 per cent.

Launching the NDP, Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Michael McGrath

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Mairéad Farrell TD

TD asserted: “The revised NDP will deliver the largest and greenest capital investment plan in the history of the State,” adding: “An employment impact analysis, carried out by my department estimates that an annual average of up to 81,000 direct and indirect construction jobs will be sustained as a result of the public investment in this NDP over the next decade.”

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson

infrastructure and construction report

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD

on Public Expenditure and Reform, Mairéad Farrell TD, warned: “The new NDP is somewhat hard to distinguish from the old one. Yes, there are the increased departmental capital ceilings, arising from the increase in the total amount of funding that will come from the exchequer, but there is a distinct lack of details on costs, timelines and completion dates for the projects outlined therein.”

Departmental allocations in 2022 Education:

Housing:

Capital expenditure provision for Education will increase by 7 per cent (€52 million) on the 2021 allocation to a total of €792 million, with the goal of ensuring that the Department can deliver new buildings and equipment, as well as furnishing primary and post-primary schools.

Of the 200 school building projects currently under construction, the majority will be completed in 2022, ultimately delivering 30,000 additional and replacement school places.

The Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage will receive the highest capital expenditure allocation of all departments, totalling €3.4 billion. Increasing by 23 per cent (€634 million) when compared with 2021, this additional support is intended to support the delivery of Housing for All. For instance, of €1.7 billion and €224 million will be allocated to the provision of 9,000 social housing units and 4,100 affordable housing units in 2022.

Environment, Climate, and Communications: Capital funding for the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications will increase by 21 per cent (€121 million) above the 2021 allocation, totalling €700 million in 2022. It is intended that this additional investment will help meet the objectives of Climate Action Plan 2021, as well as the continued roll out of the National Broadband Plan. The allocation for 2022 will mark the beginning of enhanced direct capital investment by the Department, amounting to €12.9 billion over the lifetime of the NDP.

Transport: Totalling €2.6 billion, the Department of Transport will receive the second highest capital allocation of any department. These resources are proposed to deliver the maintenance, active travel, public transports, and road priorities contained within the new NDP. For example, this includes the delivery of 41 additional InterCity Railcar carriages in 2022, and progress on BusConnects, MetroLink, and DART+.

Health: Capital funding for the Department of Health in will total €1,010 million in 2022, representing a 12 per cent (€105 million) increase on the revised 2021 allocation. Additional expenditure is earmarked for the delivery of the National Children’s Hospital at St James’s, as well as priority projects in primary care, community nursing units, ambulance bases, mental health, and acute services.

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infrastructure and construction report

Building a limitless Ireland TJ Malone, head of the build programme for the National Broadband Plan and Chief Executive Officer of National Broadband Ireland Deployment, discusses progress on the State’s “biggest investment in rural Ireland ever”.

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Connectivity has quickly become a vital part of our lives. For work, education, entertainment, and even socialising, we all have a growing demand for reliable, high speed broadband services. In most urban areas, this is taken for granted, but for over 1.1 million people living in more rural parts of Ireland – myself included – it can be an everyday struggle.

We’re not alone. Indeed, across Europe the European Commission is on a mission to ensure every household has gigabit connectivity by 2030. It’s a bold and transformational move, but one that 52

will propel every nation in the right direction to take on everything the future holds.

Ireland’s National Broadband Plan is the Government’s ambitious policy to meet this European-wide goal, and it sets us on a path to be the leading country in the provision of high-speed broadband to 100 per cent of the population, providing equal access and equal opportunity to every home, farm, school, and business.

In November 2019, our team at NBI proudly signed contracts with the

Government to deliver this highly anticipated plan. Recognised as one of the biggest and most ambitious telecoms infrastructure projects of its kind globally, it has been heralded as “the biggest investment in rural Ireland ever”.

Fast-forward to today and the Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the criticality of reliable, high-speed connectivity, which has become essential for so many aspects of our lives. Such is the demand for bandwidth, that internet usage has grown by over 40 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels.

A project like no other Taking on the challenge, our team at NBI is deploying fibre on approximately 1.5 million poles; many of them new, over 15,000km of underground ducts, using up to 142,000km of new fibre cable, and will run along almost 100,000km of the road network.

Conveying the size, scale, and complexity of an infrastructure project of this nature can be challenging to articulate. It can only be likened to rural

electrification, but with arguably far more complexities.

Stretching across 96 per cent of the country’s land mass, we’re laying enough fibre to go around the world nearly four times. This is about radically changing the broadband landscape across the country to ensure every single person has access to high-speed broadband, no matter where they live or work.

infrastructure and construction report

In two years, our team has grown to have over 1,200 people working on the rollout of the National Broadband Plan, either directly with NBI or through our network of specialist contractors. We have the best team in the world working to deliver this complex project, with experience of financing, building, and operating some of the biggest infrastructure assets in the world.

Rolling out the National Broadband Plan, we’re not alone. Collaboration is one of the most important aspects of the project, with a vast amount of specialist subcontractors providing support across every county in the country, and vitally, local authorities providing critical support with licences that are required, such as for the erection of new telegraph poles and road opening licences.

work. Collectively, these are critical components which pave the way for fast and effective construction work.

As of today, construction work is underway for over 150,000 premises

Visit www.nbi.ie for more information, including to find out if you’re in the intervention area and to receive Eircode specific updates on the rollout progress.

across the country and over 55,000

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A huge amount of credit must be given to these local authorities and the national agencies, particularly the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), the County and City Management Association (CCMA), and the Road Management Office (RMO), for their roles in supporting NBI and the introduction of a new national framework that was introduced in May last year to provide centrally agreed mechanisms for the application of licences that will support the effective rollout of the National Broadband Plan. With over 1.5 million poles in our build programme, the size of the task for local authorities cannot be understated and the agility to create a new national framework is testament to all parties collaborating and innovating in the national interest.

“Taking on the challenge, our team at NBI is deploying fibre on approximately 1.5 million poles; many of them new, over 15,000km of underground ducts, using up to 142,000km of new fibre cable, and will run along almost 100,000km of the road network.”

premises are now able to order services via retail service providers (RSPs), with

Rollout progress

minimum speeds of 500 megabits per

The solution is well underway. Work on the National Broadband Plan continues apace with our teams working in every county across Ireland. Over 293,000 premises have now been surveyed nationwide, which involves NBI crews physically walking the routes where fibre will be laid. Over 252,000 of these premises are already designed or progressing through detailed design

second on offer. With around 50 RSPs ready to sell services on the NBI network, this is going to be gamechanger, bringing significant benefits directly to consumers and businesses where competition between RSPs will ensure quality bundled packages offer choice around voice, broadband, TV, and mobile at competitive prices.

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Emerging trends in infrastructure

infrastructure and construction report

Building the shared island Taoiseach Micheál Martin marked one year of the Shared Island Initiative in December 2021 with a week of events surveying the work that has been done and is to be done on government investment in a more connected Ireland.

Key to the building of a more connected Ireland are the infrastructure projects being undertaken with funding from the Government’s Shared Island Fund and other sources. Allisland investment was one of the more notable revisions within the revised National Development Plan (NDP) published in October 2021, where a commitment to allocating ring-fenced capital resourcing for all-Ireland investment to 2030 “at least at the current level of the Shared Island Fund”.

Shared island investment priorities in the NDP include: the creation of an Ireland-wide greenway network; the enhancement of rail connectivity; coordinated investment in the rollout of electric vehicle charging networks; funding allisland climate actions; enhancing support for all-Ireland enterprise development; the creation of new all-island research centres; the further development of third-level education infrastructure in the north west; and new cross-border infrastructure built and natural heritage initiatives.

Thus far, the Shared Island Fund has been allocated to numerous infrastructure projects, chief among them the revitalisation of the Ulster Canal, which runs through counties Armagh, Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Tyrone. More than €12 million was allocated to the project in April 2021 from the Shared Island Fund and the rural Regeneration Fund for phase two of the project, and a further €1 million from the Shared

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Island Fund for phase three. The project is due for completion in 2023.

Also funded is the Narrow Water Bridge project, brought to tender by a July 2021 allocation of €3 million from the Shared Island Fund. The Taoiseach has committed to providing further funding once final costs for the project are determined.

One of the more significant allocations from the Shared Island Fund has been the €40 million pledged to the North-South Research Programme in July 2021. The programme will “support the deepening of links between higher education institutions, researchers, and research communities on the island of Ireland, delivering all-island approaches to research and innovation, and open to all disciplines and research areas”. This comprehensive approach to research has already borne fruit with the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) having published a series of secretariat papers on the shared island concept as well as a report on collaboration on climate and biodiversity; the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has also published research on increasing cooperation, cross-border trade in services and foreign direct investment on both sides of the border. The NESC and ESRI plan to publish a comprehensive report to government on the Shared Island initiative and a report on education and healthcare respectively in 2022.

Governmental failures in infrastructural investment

long-term growth lies firmly on the shoulders of this government.

The National Planning Framework 2040, with a potential spend of €116 billion, and the newly unveiled plans to pump €165 billion into infrastructure by 2030 should put some certainty back into the construction and the civil engineering market for the long-term but it won’t due to the boom-and-bust cyclical nature of our governmental policies which are clearly outlined in this wish list, it’s certainly not a defined plan that would give me long-term comfort.

From a governmental point of view investment in infrastructure has a high rate of return, Ibec estimates that all road improvements carried out between 2006 and 2010 led to an annual beneficial contribution in GDP of €525 million and, in present value terms, over a 30-year period this would equate to €9.5 billion. If the Government was to address many of the road projects listed in the 2040 NPF, then not only would that alleviate congestion, but it would encourage investment in other regions and give the State a decent return on that investment over a 10-to-20-year period.

Infrastructure lasts lifetimes and while interest rates on government borrowing are at an all-time low it seems like a no brainer to make a decision to invest in Ireland’s future now, not continuously kick the can down the road as successive governments have done.

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To add to this positivity, the construction industry is continuing to expand due to expenditure on foreign direct investment projects and by continued activity in the commercial office sector. The residential sector is catching up, the required volume of 36,000 units per annum are far from being met with around 24,000 units to be completed in 2022, there is still massive scope for growth. The missing piece of the jigsaw is investment in infrastructure, there is huge scope for projects in civil engineering, which is currently posting the weakest activity of all construction sectors.

infrastructure and construction report

I don’t want to seem overly pessimistic, writes Colm McGrath, Managing Director of Surety Bonds. A number of multinational IT and fund management companies continue to see Ireland as a hub for their European operations and have invested accordingly, but the missing piece is investment in infrastructure.

T: +353 868 189 702 E: colm@suretybonds.ie W: www.suretybonds.ie

The Irish Government is completely in control of its own investment decisions and is at fault when it comes to the lack of investment in infrastructure in Ireland.

To support Ireland’s, not just Dublin’s, 55

infrastructure and construction report

Emerging trends in infrastructure

Enhanced major capital investment scrutiny Major capital investment projects are now subject to a new External Assurance Process, undertaken by independent external experts, for review and scrutiny. At the same time, to support the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in undertaking this role, a new four-member Major Projects Advisory Group (MPAG) has been established.

Published in October 2021, the new €65 billion National Development Plan (NDP) committed to restructuring oversight and implementation of capital projects, as well as enhanced scrutiny of major public investment proposals.

As such, to strengthen the assurance process for major public investment, two new elements have been introduced: 1. an External Assurance Process; and 2. the establishment of a Major Projects Advisory Group.

External Assurances Process Implemented by DPER, the External Assurances Process is intended to provide independent project scrutiny and key decision gates. Ultimately, the process is aimed at delivering better value for taxpayers’ money through independent expert insight into project risk and delivery feasibility, alongside robust costings, governance, and procurement.

While NDP investment projects are required to adhere to the Public Spending Code (PSC), which requires the employment of best practice at all stages of the

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Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure Major Projects Advisory Group: Michael Nolan •

Chair of the Major Projects Advisory Group.

•

Previously appointed the first chief executive of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) upon the merger of the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Railway Procurement Agency, retiring in 2020.

•

Prior to this, held the head of major projects

•

Chartered engineer and a fellow of Engineers Ireland.

•

Currently chairs the Western Development Commission’s Project Working Group to develop a Rural Town Mobility Index and is an external member of the NTA’s BusConnects programme board.

Jerry Grant •

Background in engineering and law.

•

Over 25 years of experience at director and executive advisor level in the utilities and construction sectors.

•

Held roles as managing director, head of asset

Applicable to projects exceeding €100 million in cost, the mandatory External Assurances Process will consider cost, risk, and delivery during both the approval in principle and the pre-tender approval stages of the project lifecycle. Currently, there are at least 50 major public investment proposals in the Exchequer-funded component of the NDP. Any delays and cost overruns can have a negative knock-on effect on the entire capital programme.

Through better analysis of cost and risk in the initial stage, projects should receive more considered decisions and better outcomes. Likewise, external review can ensure better project and investment governance. As such, the External Assurance Process should furnish government with comprehensive information on cost, risk, governance, and delivery feasibility before a decision to proceed is taken.

infrastructure and construction report

position in the NRA between 2007 and 2015.

expenditure lifecycle, DPER has indicated that the new process “goes one step further” in ensuring timely and on-budget project delivery.

MPAG Currently, DPER undertakes the scrutiny and challenge role on major public investment proposals in advance of government consideration. This includes technical reviews of business cases, with regard to the PSC, as well as a focus on strategic alignment with core government policies and the quality and rigor of the economic appraisal.

Supported by a secretariat supplied by DPER’S National Investment Office (NIO), the newly established Major Projects Advisory Group (MPAG) will assist DPER in its

management, and specialist advisor with Irish Water between 2013 and late 2018.

•

Currently chairs Dublin Port Company and holds active leadership roles in State sectors engaged in infrastructure services and investment.

Alison Hardiman •

A planning and development law expert with extensive experience in the development of strategic infrastructure projects in both the public and private sectors.

•

Experience in Irish procurement law and processes as a tendering consultant.

•

Previously worked as the in-housing planning lawyer of the Railway Procurement Agency, working on projects and proposals including Metro

“The implementation of the External Assurance Process and the establishment of Major Projects Advisory Group will help deliver on our commitment in the National Development Plan to reform the oversight and implementation of public infrastructure projects…”

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD

North PPP, Luas Cross City, and Citywest, between 2006 and 2011.

•

Currently a PhD candidate, in association with EirGrid plc, undertaking research into the gaps in law and policy inhibiting delivery of regally required renewable energy infrastructure projects.

Barry O’Driscoll •

A chartered civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience in the national roads and public transport sectors.

•

Extensive experience in senior positions in the planning, managing, and delivery of major public investment projects, including as director for WSP, director for Highways England’s Smart Motorway

project assurance role and advise the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

The MPAG will scrutinise project proposals and external reviews in advance of government consideration, supporting DPER’s role in in quality assuring the new External Assurances Process. It is expected that the MPAG will also advise on future reforms to the PSC. Combined, these developments ensure that Ireland is aligned with international exemplars and fulfils a recommendation made by the IMF’s Public Investment Management Assessment of Ireland.

Announcing the introduction of the new process and the establishment of the MPAG, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD stated: “The implementation of the External Assurance Process and the establishment of Major Projects Advisory Group will help deliver on our commitment in the National Development Plan to reform the oversight and implementation of public infrastructure projects to achieve better value for money.”

Programme, and project director for a series of major projects, most recently including the M4 smart motorway.

•

Currently a member of the Independent Investment Programme Advisory Group (IIPAG) which provides assurance and advice to the Mayor of London for major Transport for London projects.

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infrastructure and construction report

Emerging trends in infrastructure

Rebuilding health infrastructure for a post-Covid world Jim Curran, National Director of Estates for the Health Service Executive (HSE) outlines how the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the health sector into fast-tracking infrastructure projects and how it will inform the rebuilding of that infrastructure in a post-pandemic world.

“There was quite a stark ask in relation to what was needed at the beginning of the pandemic,” Curran recounts. “Up to 10,000 beds were needed, we knew that we could not provide these overnight but that we had to act as quickly as possible to bring all our capacity into use. A lot of work was undertaken over a very short period in order to bring facilities back into use. A total of €240 million was invested in establishing some new facilities, such as test centres and swabbing centres.”

Field hospital plans were put in place should the worst have come to worst, with the Citywest Convention Centre and Hotel among the sites acquired on a licensed basis for this possibility. Thankfully, while the health system was under significant pressure, it did not result in the utilisation of field hospitals, Curran emphasises.

“Ultimately, we delivered capacity for circa 600 additional beds if required and that was achieved very quickly,” he says. “Thankfully we did not have to use the beds in Citywest but we are using the facility for other things such as outpatient clinics, test centres and vaccination centres. Our testing centres have been established nationally, with different models attempted. The most effective is the drive-through model where people drive into large car parking areas.”

Along with pressure on niche aspects of health infrastructure such as medical gas

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Find out more www.kpmg.ie/infrastructure supply, crucial amid increasing numbers of patients requiring ventilators, the pandemic also served to emphasise the need to modernise the HSE’s buildings and internal capacity. These processes were underway before the pandemic but fasttracked when the extent of the Covid crisis became clear.

“Limerick had particularly low bed numbers, so we undertook two projects there to increase capacity, one in the university hospital itself, and another in Croom,” Curran offers as an example. “Our building partners in Clancy Construction brought the project onstream in about 14 weeks, which was remarkable given that it usually requires an average of 14 months.”

infrastructure and construction report

Reflecting on the lessons from the Covid crisis, Curran says: “Looking at what we have learned, additional capacity has been a necessity during the pandemic. One of the reasons we have had to have lockdown measures is that the capacity in our health system was being stretched to the limit, so there is a need to create additional bed capacity both in hospitals and in critical care because that is where we are lagging in relation to international norms. We now have a programme to almost double that capacity in hospitals.”

Enhancing capacity in elective only hospitals in Cork, Galway, and Dublin is a component of the National Development Plan, with an emphasis on outpatient care.

The objective is to mitigate record waiting lists. Curran expresses the hope that these projects can be fast-tracked and operational within three years. Consolidating additional primary care centres and community diagnostic facilities also aligns with the Sláintecare priority of bringing care closer to home, while ensuring additional mental health facilities and services for people with disabilities.

The rollout of national strategies such as the National Maternity Strategy, which involves the relocation of all standalone maternity hospitals onto hospital sites, are ongoing. The National Cancer Strategy’s radiation oncology programme has seen completion of one centre in Cork, with one in Galway currently under construction and the next phase of expansion into the Dublin centres ongoing.

HSE’s National Director of Estates, Jim Curran.

“Our primary centre construction programme continues,” Curran says, adding: “That is a mix of state investment through the NDP and developer-led operation lease model where the developers construct to our specifications, and we lease from them.

That is rolling out at pace, and we hope to have developed a total of 80 centres in 2021.

“Our replacement and refurbishment of existing Community Nursing Units, is a big focus of our next stage of development. The decongregation programme is focused on people with disabilities and mental health issues who were living in secluded residential settings, congregated together in some facilities and we are now realising that for the quality of life of these people, it is better that they are living in the community. We are now moving away from having those congregated settings to providing dwellings for no more than four people living together in the wider community.”

Again, these actions are concurrent with the health system infrastructure needs and the Sláintecare priorities, with the Trauma Strategy set to provide centres that will cover all major traumas in Cork, Dublin, and Galway. The HSE also faces a challenge in meeting its climate objectives with its infrastructure.

“The government mandate is to get down to near zero energy and the health sector, given the 24/7 usage of its buildings, is critical to the success of Ireland delivering on its climate action requirements,” he says. “Investment in infrastructure to meet these requirements will be essential. This will involve replacing a lot of our facilities and we have identified a significant number that we will require.”

Curran concludes: “Some projects to increase capacity that are currently underway include Mater Hospital and Mallow General Hospital, which were highlighted in response to Covid-19 and the deficit in those areas. We will be continuing our ward replacement programme and I think it is fair to say that every hospital in the country has ambitions of becoming a building site over the next few years as we gear up to deliver on the EU healthcare strategies.”

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Emerging trends in infrastructure

infrastructure and construction report

Infrastructure for the future The cities of the future will be tasked with the gargantuan task of tackling the complex issues within the economy, society, and the environment in a rapidly evolving world of constant new technology.

McKinsey and Company identifies three key factors in delivering the “promise of technology in urban infrastructure” in the cities of the future: renewing outdated infrastructure; getting more out of existing capacity; and reducing the cost to build new.

The idea of renewing outdated infrastructure involves the building of smart features and technology, such as sensors and management system, into new projects that utilise old infrastructure in order to modernise said infrastructure and fit it with intelligent capabilities. While McKinsey and Co notes that retrofitting has typically been deemed too expensive, “several technologies have advanced dramatically over the past few years, making infrastructure renewal far more feasible today”.

An example given by McKinsey is the connection of a smart thermometer as the beginnings of a smart building, whereby for a small amount of money and negligible use of power, “WiFi communication allows devices to send intermittent streams of data… in a way that prolongs battery life” and “the evolution of both solar panels and batteries means buildings can harness more power at a lower cost”.

To get more from existing capacity, McKinsey recommends that digital information be used to reveal opportunities to turn waste into value, such as digital monitoring of car parks showing them to be underused, allowing cities to create

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parking networks across multiple car parks that would “increase real supply, free up land for productive development and remove street parking”.

In power generation, this approach can take the form of socalled virtual power plants that can be created through demand-response and actual microgeneration units. The city of Oakland is given as an example of a city that has embraced this idea, having created a virtual microgrid that operates directly to the consumer.

Newer technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning will improve both performance and economics in urban site planning, McKinsey says, reducing the oftenprohibitive costs of constructing new urban projects.

Machine-learning-based planning tools can “help developers find additional usable space on a given parcel while improving… access to light and open space”, meaning that urban construction is now “likely to be disrupted by standardisation and automation”.

The example of companies such as the Boring Company, which has “demonstrated how to [reduce] tunnelling costs” through use of robotics, is one to be followed say McKinsey if cities are to reduce the costs in constructing the infrastructure of the future.

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Regional Focus: Fingal County Council

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Fingal: Ireland’s fastest growing county Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD pictured with Fingal County Council Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly and Mayor of Fingal Councillor Seána Ó Rodaigh during a recent visit to Balbriggan where he viewed plans and sites for a €50 million regeneration project.

When the first meeting of Fingal County Council took place in Newbridge House, Donabate, on 7 January 1994, few, if any, of the 24 councillors in attendance could have imagined the growth that the new county would experience over the next 28 years.

The county is now a major driver of the Irish economy through Dublin Airport, the business parks of the Dublin Enterprise Zone and the food-producing fields of north County Dublin. Its population has doubled to around 300,000 and is the fastest growing in Ireland at 8.1 per cent.

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As the county has grown so too has the Council and the role it plays. At €299.8 million, its budget for 2022 is over six times bigger than the €47.7 million it had to spend in its first year of operation. However, every cent is needed to keep pace with the phenomenal growth the county continues to experience while ensuring the delivery of improved services and helping reenergise economic development in a post-Covid environment.

The budget, which is the equivalent of a €1,012 spend per head of population, will be spent in a number of key areas such as roads, parks, housing, environment and the delivery of a wide range of operational services across local communities, including road maintenance, traffic management, increased street cleaning and improvement works at parks and open spaces. Some €1.2 million has also been set aside to boost the development of the tourism sector in Fingal.

A €784 million Capital Programme is also in place for the next three years covering 237 individual projects 62

across the county and projecting a capital spend in 2022 of €237 million, followed by €265 million in 2023 and a further €282 million in 2023.

This Capital Programme is one of the highest in the country which, according to the Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Seána Ó Rodaigh, is not surprising given the demands created by a burgeoning population and ongoing economic growth. “Investment in infrastructure across the county is extremely important given our commitment to making Fingal a great place to live, work, visit and do business. The focus of councillors and staff over the next three years will be to ensure that all 237 projects continue to progress towards delivery,” she said.

Not surprisingly, the provision of housing and strategic infrastructure makes up over 70 per cent of the Capital Programme with the €393 million housing budget underpinning the Council’s commitment to delivering a significant housing programme under the Government’s new housing plan, Housing for All. The Council’s objective is to maximise the supply and availability of suitable accommodation for households unable to provide accommodation from their own resources and to provide good quality housing to purchase or rent at an affordable price. Progressing plans for the development of landbanks at Church

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and Acting Mayor Councillor Robert O’Donoghue are briefed by Fingal County Architect Fionnuala May on Fingal County Council’s plans for 62 affordable and social homes on a site at Hayestown, Rush.

Fields in Dublin 15, Ballymastone in Donabate and Hayestown in Rush is a major priority.

Almost 20 per cent of Capital Plan expenditure is earmarked for Strategic Infrastructure projects with many of the projects underlining the Council’s commitment to leading on Climate Change and promoting national initiatives such as Active Travel at a local level.

Construction of the Church Fields Link Road and Cycle Scheme is underway while the Donabate Pedestrian Bridge, which will be constructed over the main Dublin-Belfast rail line, is also scheduled to commence in 2022. Preparation work is also continuing for four major greenways.

Three of them, when finished, will facilitate the creation of a connected greenway that will run along the Fingal coast from Sutton in the south to Balbriggan in the north while the other, between Castleknock and Lucan, is a key piece of the strategically important Royal Canal Urban Greenway.

A €50 million regeneration project is currently underway in Balbriggan, Ireland’s youngest town, and last year the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD announced that over €25 million from the Urban Regeneration Development Fund had been allocated to a variety of projects in the town.

Many of these will get underway over the next three years and Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD recently viewed some of the projects during a visit to the town.

Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly, who leads Fingal’s 1,500 staff, says that, like the Mayor and councillors, her priority is to make sure that the plans and projects become a reality. “Despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic we continued to progress many of our capital projects during lockdown and now, as the restrictions ease, we are ready to move forward at pace towards completing as many as possible over the next three years.”

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A total of €58 million has been allocated to Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel projects across Fingal which will include Protected Cycle Lanes, Road Safety and Active Travel Mobility as well as the continued implementation of the Council’s five-year Climate Change Action Plan.

Another €23 million is earmarked for the Civic and Cultural Centre element of the Swords Cultural Quarter project, which is due to go to planning in May, while €20 million has been set aside for Community and Sports programmes with the provision of new Community Centres in Meakstown and Baldoyle amongst the Council priorities.

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to demands for more parks, open spaces and recreational facilities so, over the next three years, Fingal plans to continue expanding the number of regional parks and recreational hubs under its control with projects planned for Baldoyle, Porterstown, Balbriggan, Donabate, Lanesborough and Naul.

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REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Fingal snapshot Totalling 456km2 in area and comprising 88km of coastline stretching from Howth Head to Balbriggan, Fingal is the third most populous local authority in Ireland (after Dublin City and Cork County) with a total of 296,020 people (according to the most recent Census in 2016). With an average age of 34.3, Fingal is also the youngest local authority in the State.

With urban population centres such as Blanchardstown, Balbriggan, and Swords, the highest population per electoral division is concentrated on the western outskirts of Dublin City, particularly Blanchardstown and Castleknock, and along the coast in the east. In total, 92.7 per cent of the Fingal population lives within the aggregate town area as defined by the CSO, with the remaining 7.3 per cent resident in the aggregate rural area.

People 296,020 population 104,851 households Average density of 646 persons per 1km2 Average age of 34.3 years 87,140 persons under the age of 19 24,899 children of pre-school age Average household size of 3.03 Proportion of non-Irish nationals resident in Fingal 18.3 per cent Source: Census 2016, CSO

Life events 4,306 births 1,127 deaths 401 marriages Source: Vital Statistics 2019, CSO

Marital status 54 per cent single 39 per cent married 3 per cent widowed

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REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Top three non-Irish nationalities

1

2

5,521 Romanian

11,419 Polish

3

4,449 British

Labour force 149,386 labour force 133,971 labour force at work 10.3 per cent labour force unemployment rate (pre-Covid) 47,707 Fingal residents work within Fingal Source: Census 2016, CSO

Top occupational groups 6,515 sales and retail assistants 4,696 other administrative occupation workers 3,712 nurses and midwives Source: Census 2016, CSO

Home ownership 55,347 owner-occupied 27,016 rented accommodation 4,244 other

Housing delivery 2,339 units under construction 127 sites* with planning permission 74 active sites*

*Sites with 10 units or more Source: Q4 2020 Taskforce

Commuting trends 36.1 per cent of Fingal residents work within Fingal 34 per cent of the working population commute to Dublin for work 52 per cent by private car 15 per cent on foot 13 per cent by bus, coach, or minibus Source: Census 2016, CSO 65

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Fingal and the National Development Plan Fingal is to be one of the more significant locales during the implementation of the newly revised National Development Plan, with the area set to benefit from two of the plan’s most high-profile projects, and many more besides.

The MetroLink is the highest profile of the NDP projects to be associated with Fingal.

The transport project is “likely the largest ever public investment project in the history of the State” according to the NDP, which also states that “this government is committed to its funding and delivery as quickly as possible”, although subsequent developments following the publication of the plan have revealed that the plan will most likely not come to fruition until after 2030.

When completed, MetroLink will consist of a 19km carbon-neutral railway service running north-south, connecting Swords to Dublin City Centre, with stoppages at key destinations in between such as Dublin Airport. The line will serve 15 stations and

66

Balbriggan Harbour, to be redeveloped under the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation Plan.

is estimated to have a journey time of approximately 25 minutes from Swords to the city centre. The service will also “provide passengers interchange opportunities with commuter rail, DART, Luas and numerous bus services along its route and support the development of a truly integrated public transport system in Dublin”.

Also to benefit the area in terms of transport infrastructure will be the construction of the DART+ Coastal North line, which will run to Drogheda via Balbriggan. The DART+ project “represents the single biggest investment in the Irish network” under Project Ireland 2040 and will both extend and electrify the rail line in order to “provide a sustainable,

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

electrified and a more reliable train service with improved capacity”. The DART+ West programme received government approval in December 2021; DART+ Coastal has “just commenced the concept phase”, with contract award for construction “likely to be in 2024”.

The second of the high profile NDP projects due to benefit the Fingal area is the Greater Dublin drainage project, which has been earmarked as a strategic investment priority in the water sector. The status of the project is given as being in the planning and design stage in the NDP, with an estimated cost of between €500 million and €1 billion and an estimated completion date of 2029, with these estimates given on the assumption that “Irish Water can commence construction in 2024/2025”. It is stated that this “estimate will be reviewed and refreshed as the project progresses through the planning and procurement processes to account for any unforeseen planning/legal challenges or delays”.

The Greater Dublin Drainage project represents a major investment in water infrastructure for the Greater Dublin region and is set to answer the projected increased demand in the area, where wastewater generation is predicted to increase by over 50 per cent by 2050. The project includes the development of a new regional wastewater treatment facility and associated infrastructure for Dublin and parts of Kildare and Meath.

It is said to be “vital for residential and commercial development across north Dublin and south Fingal as new homes and businesses can only be built when there is adequate wastewater infrastructure in place to support them”. The population of Fingal has doubled to roughly 300,000 since 1994, and the local government area has the fastest growing population by rate (8.1 per cent) in the State. Coupled with Swords’ status as an emerging city, the drainage project will answer the wastewater needs of a rapidly expanding area.

Also included under the NDP is the provisional funding support to be delivered from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), which will benefit Fingal in the form of its support of the Balbriggan Rejuvenation Project, which will receive over €25 million in funding from the URDF and is stated to currently be in its preliminary business case. The funding is to be pledged towards eight projects under the Balbriggan rejuvenation plan that will cost €33.9 million overall, with Fingal County Council providing the remainder of the funding. The eight planned public realm improvements to be completed with the funding are: Quay Street; Balbriggan Harbour; 2/4 Dublin Street; Bridge Street; Railway Street; Millpond Park; promenade and coastal improvements; and a cycleway from Bremore Castle to Ardgillan Castle, which will comprise the Balbriggan-Skerries portion of the Fingal Coastal Way. The eight projects are to be delivered in phases, with the first phase scheduled for completion by the end of 2023. The first phase will involve the redesign of Quay Street, the upgrading of the Harbour area and the development of artists' studios and a digital innovation/maker space at 2/4 Dublin Street. The second phase, which will involve the redevelopment of buildings on Bridge Street, improvements to the promenade and coastal areas and the construction of the cycleway, is anticipated to complete in 2026, according to the council. The third and final phase is due for completion by 2027 and will be focused on the rejuvenation of Railway Street and Millpond Park.

Former Mayor of Fingal, Councillor David Healy said that the funding and project would transform Balbriggan town centre: “The infrastructure and public realm improvements which can now proceed will support a number of connected purposes.

Improvements to public space will support quality of life and community life in Balbriggan. In doing so they will underpin the development of the local economy as well as the transition to a decarbonised economy and society which is at the core of both national and Fingal policies.”

67

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Swords: Ireland’s emerging city Swords Castle has provided the inspiration for the Swords Cultural Quarter, a multi-million euro project which will create a major new public and civic space by 2025.

Fingal’s county capital is Swords, which was originally a monastic settlement founded by St Colmcille in 560 but is now classified as a Key Town, with a population set to grow to 100,000 in the future.

Fifty years ago, the population of Swords was 4,133.

It has increased almost tenfold since then. The 2016 census showed it had a population of 39,251, making it the second largest town in Ireland behind Drogheda (40,956) but the CSO figure didn’t include two areas on the edge of the town which, when included, increase the population to over 45,000.

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As Swords continues to expand, Fingal County Council is working to ensure that it grows sustainably and develops into well-designed county capital. Key to this is a plan to reverse the historic shift away from Main Street, which commenced in the early 2000s, in order to facilitate better placemaking and create a more resilient town centre.

A cross-departmental council project called Sustainable Swords aims to produce a place-making strategy focused on the strategic regeneration and sustainable development of Swords. The goal is to increase the resilience of the local economy and to provide for an enhanced, accessible, inclusive, child friendly and healthy urban environment.

The origins of the Sustainable Swords initiative lie in a number of strategic documents, including Your 68

Swords – An Emerging City – Strategic Vision 2035 and the Fingal County Development Plan 2017-2023. The vision of the former is to consolidate and strengthen the historic town centre of Swords, whilst the latter describes several specific objectives for the town centre within the context of a plan-led strategy.

The ambition for Sustainable Swords is to create a coordinating mechanism that will establish a package of measures and projects that are prioritised, programmed and impactful, and will enable the coordination of investment and decision-making across multiple stakeholders, maximising private sector engagement and identifying opportunities for synergies and collaboration.

Sustainable Swords is currently on the third part of a four-part approach which will see the proposed plan going out for public consultation in March before the final plan is brought before the members of Fingal County Council for adoption.

The first part of the project saw a Health Check of the work programme being carried out while the creation of a Public Realm Strategy and a Transport Strategy formed parts two and three. The fourth element will

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Sustainable Swords is a Fingal County Council plan to facilitate better placemaking and create a more resilient town centre.

include a business case evaluation of key transformative projects identified during the study.

The Council have so far identified six themes on which the strategic priorities for the project are based. They are: •

Improving access, permeability and connectivity;

•

Reimagining our public realm;

•

A town for all;

•

Protecting the natural environment;

•

Promoting and linking heritage assets; and

•

Supporting local businesses.

Among the strategic priorities that have been identified are projects like the Western Link Road which will be critically important in enabling traffic movements to be directed away from the town centre and allowing future phases of town centre enhancement to take place. The transition to multipurpose mobility hubs which can facilitate car-sharing, bikes, electric vehicles, and other forms of emerging mobility are also being prioritised along with the construction of greenways and Safe Routes to School.

The reimagining of the public realm includes the transformation of Main Street and turning it into the heart of a thriving town centre that could include a network of smart streets with solar powered lighting, WiFi, smart lighting, bottle filling stations and public fountains.

also provided the inspiration for the Swords Cultural Quarter, a multi-million-euro project which will create a major new public and civic space by 2025.

According to the Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Seána Ó Rodaigh, the importance of this project cannot be underestimated. “The objective of the Swords Cultural Quarter project is to energise this area of Swords in order to make a balanced town that provides places, buildings and spaces for both cultural and economic activity for all its citizens and to create a new sense of place,” said the Mayor.

The final Sustainable Swords theme is about support for local businesses and continuing to develop the Metro Economic Corridor. It also involves taking advantage of the shift towards remote and hybrid working and offering Swords town centre as a more attractive place to work from for residents.

The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, says that throughout its long history Swords has always been evolving and the Council is determined to ensure that future growth is carefully managed. She said: “A town is never complete, and it never stops changing and you can see that with Swords. Swords will continue to experience a lot of change in the coming years and the challenge is to ensure that change within Swords is a positive process that will make Swords a better place to live, work, visit, and do business. We want to create a more vibrant town for all and become a good example of a sustainable approach to urban development.”

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The need to conduct feasibility studies into the provision of major recreation, leisure and health infrastructure is also being proposed and Sustainable Swords also envisages working with the local community, especially those groups like Swords Tidy Towns and Swords Woodland Association who are already involved in projects that are linked to an ethos of more sustainable development such as the Swords Biodiversity Action Plan.

Swords’ rich and evocative history means that protecting heritage is a key part of the Council’s plan. The imposing Swords Castle dominates the centre of the town and has been renovated and opened to the public in recent years. It has 69

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Tourism in Fingal

2022 marks the final years of Fingal’s 2017–2022 tourism strategy. The sector plays an important role in the local economy, generating €500 million in annual spend and sustaining 20,000 jobs across all sectors, a quarter of total jobs in the county.

The Skerries to Balbriggan Road, a proposed route for the Fingal Coastal Way

Skerries Harbour

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Tourism in Fingal is said to be heavily dependent upon both day-trip visitors, taking in the county’s coastal locations and heritage sites of interest, and stay-over visitors who are mainly concentrated on Dublin Airport and the surrounding area. An estimated 8,000 businesses provide accommodation and catering services in Fingal, with guest accommodation supporting an estimated 3,000 full time job equivalents and catering providing another 2,000.

In 2017, Fingal County Council published its Fingal Tourism Statement 2017–2022, a strategy laying out a total of 152 actions in order to make Fingal an “attractive, vibrant and sustainable tourism destination delivering a distinctive experience for local residents, domestic and international visitors”. The 152 actions fall under three main

headings: optimise and expand visitor experiences; adopt a new place marketing strategy align with, and leveraging, the Grow Dublin Tourism Alliance; and develop new ways of working in partnership with stakeholders.

Actions taken before the publication of the strategy in 2017 included a strategic review of heritage properties in 2016, with work then following on the streamlining of internal management arrangements in these properties, the improvement of transitional business performance, the construction of a strategic investment strategy, the appointment of a Heritage Task Force and the creation of a single management entity for the eight heritage properties based on an open charitable trust model.

REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Fingal County Council operates five heritage properties under its ownership as community and tourism attractions. These five properties are: Swords Castle, Malahide Castle and Gardens, Newbridge House and Farm, Skerries Mill, and Ardgillan Castle.

The council operates an annual programme of 64 events and festivals throughout the county, which are estimated to generate over €30 million per annum and support 360 jobs annually.

A major plank of the tourism strategy is the improvement of connectivity both to and within the area, with nine actions outlined to improve Fingal’s performance in this area, from the deliverance of a tourist bus around the area, including Dublin Airport, to the completion in incremental segments of the Fingal Coastal Way and the support of Waterways Ireland in the delivery of the Royal Canal Greenway.

One increment of the Fingal Coastal Way that has been earmarked under funding received from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is the Castle to Castle Cycleway, to run from Bremore Castle in the northern reaches of Balbriggan to Ardgillan Castle and Demesne in southern Balbriggan. The Fingal Coastal Way, when complete, will be a greenway extending from Newbridge Demesne in Donabate to the Fingal county boundary, to the north of Balbriggan, with a final length of approximately 32km.

The Coastal Way is “envisaged to be a flagship scheme for tourism in the county with the potential to promote and enhance the local tourist economy”. Active tourism amenities such as greenways are proving evermore popular in Irish tourism and are becoming boons to the local economy. A Fáilte Ireland report in 2019 estimated that the Newport to Mulranny section of the Great Western Greenway in Mayo would contribute €7.2 million to the local economy per year.

Government investment in greenways is headlined by the €53 million Greenways Development Strategy, while the 2021 Budget saw the “highest single-year amount ever allocated to greenways”, €63.5 million. The power of their attraction is

exemplified by the Waterford Greenway, which a 2019 study revealed had been visited by over 280,000 tourists, 68 per cent of whom had said that the greenway was their main motivation for visiting Waterford. The numbers of tourists coming to Ireland for walking and cycling holidays saw a significant rise from 371,000 to 1.8 million in 2017. In 2018, 46 per cent of all overseas holidaymakers to Ireland “engaged in walking and cycling as part of their holiday experience”. Adventure tourism, which includes water sports, hiking, mountain biking, adventure photography and nature watching and is easily catered for within Fingal’s coastal regions and rural hinterlands, was said to be worth €1.2 billion to the Irish economy overall in 2018.

With the global tourism sector looking to begin its bounce back from the damage wrought by Covid-19 in 2022, Fingal is no different. €1.2 million of Fingal County Council’s €300 million budget for the year has been pledged towards the sector, which will be boosted by the return of the highly popular Flavours of Fingal festival in July and further work being done on the development of Swords Cultural Quarter. In January 2022, Fingal County Council invited applicants organising festivals and events to apply for financial assistance in three strands totalling maximums of €4,500, €7,500 and €15,000.

Fingal’s Director of Tourism and Cultural Development at Fingal, Emer O’Gorman said: “We know that supporting events and festivals right across Fingal not only has an economic benefit, but that it also helps to better connect communities and enrich people’s lives. That will be particularly important as we look to shake off the extremely challenging times we’ve all faced and begin to look forward to an exciting calendar of events to enjoy next year.” With the delivery of a new runway in Dublin Airport also to come in the near future and to bring with it more visitors to the area, tourism in the area appears ready to begin its recovery.

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REGIONAL FOCUS: FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

Dublin-Belfast economic corridor The development of the Dublingains momentum Belfast economic corridor has gained

The Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor Oversight Board

momentum with cross-border council links being strengthened along Ireland’s east coast.

A Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor Oversight Board was appointed in November 2021, with its inaugural political leadership team elected to “help drive employment opportunities, address barriers impacting trade and encourage the delivery of better transport infrastructure”. Peter Byrne, an SDLP councillor for Newry, Mourne and Down was elected as Chair of the Oversight Board, while Seána Ó Rodaigh, the Labour Party’s Mayor of Fingal was elected Deputy Chair.

Membership of the Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor partnership is made up of councillors from four councils on either side of the border. 24 councillors sit on the Oversight Board, three coming from each council involved in the initiative: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council; Belfast City Council; Dublin City Council; Fingal County Council; Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council; Louth County Council; Meath County Council; and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. This economic partnership also includes Dublin City University and Ulster University, whose collaboration on a report on the economic corridor led to the foundation of the group in March 2021.

Upon the foundation of the partnership, Belfast City Council expressed the hope that the economic corridor could be the “equivalent of the Northern Powerhouse or the Malmo-Copenhagen Tech Region (Oresund), both of which have created larger functional economies of international scale to ensure they have a more resilient response to the ongoing pandemic, economic cycles and geopolitical challenges”.

72

The collaborative report published by DCU and UU found that the region has a population of over two million people and “is younger and more diverse than any other part of Ireland with 15 per cent born off the island”. It also has the best educated workforce with 34 per cent of the population holding third level qualifications “thereby creating an excellent pipeline for concentrations of jobs requiring graduates”.

The report also states that in 2019, there were 125,000 firms located along the corridor with entrepreneurship and survival rates higher than elsewhere in Ireland and more people employed in mid-sized and large businesses than anywhere else. Key sectors along the corridor include advanced manufacturing, ICT, agri-food, professional services, financial services, construction, and tourism while the challenges facing the region are “adapting to Brexit, climate change and transformation to a low carbon economy, low population density and an ageing population”.

Speaking upon her election as Deputy Chair of the Oversight Board, Ó Rodaigh said: “Alongside the obvious social and economic benefits of closer cross border collaboration in order to develop the corridor, what we are looking to help drive is greater inward investment, the boosting of trade opportunities for local businesses, increased production in key sectors and higher employment. This will be increasingly important as the population along the corridor continues to grow.”

Road safety report

Sponsored by

road safety report

Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD: Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030 Ireland has made enormous progress in recent years in addressing the appalling death and serious injury toll on our roads, writes Hildegarde Naughton TD, Minister of State in the Department of Transport with responsibility for road safety.

74

In 1997, the year before our first Road Safety Strategy was published, a staggering 472 people died on our roads. In 2021, the number fell to the lowest since records began.

But this is not a reason for complacency. How we move people and goods around has changed and will change in even more profound ways

Zero, i.e., no deaths or serious injuries by 2050.

These are ambitious targets, but they have been developed on the basis that the vast majority of road users have made superb efforts to make our roads safer. As previously mentioned, we have had multiannual Road Safety Strategies since 1998. From 472 deaths in 1997, in 2020

road safety report

Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD at the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 launch.

over the coming years. New modes of transport which did not exist a few short years ago, such as eBikes and eScooters, are common sights in our villages, towns and cities, and the number of people walking, and cycling is also on the rise.

And it is for that reason that at the heart of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 is change, and a recognition that our attitudes and behaviours must change to take account of the fact that no one form of transport takes primacy over another.

The strategy includes a key focus on vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians.

And as part of this change, we must all accept and realise that every road user is entitled to use our roads and not have their life or safety put at risk due to the dangerous behaviour of others.

The primary aim of the strategy is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50 per cent over the next 10 years.

What does that mean in practice? It means reducing deaths from 144 per year to 72, or lower, and reducing serious injuries from 1,259 to 630, or lower, by 2030. It will also be the first step in Ireland’s journey towards realising Vision

we had 146 deaths on our roads and last year, 2021, there were 136.

We can build on this progress by drawing on the wealth of data and analysis around driver behaviour, road condition, and other factors which helps us understand how and where collisions occur. We know that speed is a major factor in collisions, but thankfully most road users know that the speed limit is not a target to be reached. We know that alcohol and drugs are high risk factors, but the vast bulk of drivers know never to drink and drive and drink driving is no longer seen – if it ever was – as being socially acceptable.

We also know that more effort is required in some areas. Too many people die for lack for putting on their seat belt. Too many people are distracted by their mobile phone. And unfortunately, too many people die in collisions where fatigue is a factor.

The new strategy meets the objectives in the 2020 Programme for Government to work on implementing the Vision Zero principle which is the global movement to eliminate road deaths by 2050, and to focus on reducing death and injuries of vulnerable road users.

4 75

The strategy has been developed using a Authority which has examined international best

cent drop in serious injuries. It is backed by some €3.8 billion of investment. Among the key actions to be progressed in this period include:

practice, and conducted a national public

•

a review of speed limits, particularly considering a 30km/h default speed limit in urban areas;

•

an expansion of speed management

collaborative approach, led by the Road Safety

consultation and in-depth stakeholder consultation.

The Strategy also took into account feedback

road safety report

“The new strategy meets the objectives in the 2020 Programme for Government to work on implementing the Vision Zero principle which is the global movement to eliminate road deaths by 2050, and to focus on reducing death and injuries of vulnerable road users.”

M I N I S T E R OF S TAT E I N T H E D E PA RT M E N T O F T R A N S P O RT H I L D E G AR D E N AU G H TO N T D

from both Minister Eamon Ryan TD and I, as well as closely working with key stakeholders such as the departments of transport and justice, the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, our local authorities, and other agencies.

This Strategy adopts the holistic Safe System approach to road safety management, which is recognised as best practice by the EU, UN, and the World Health Organisation. The Safe System approach recognises that human error and human frailty must be accommodated in our road traffic system. It also emphasises that there is a shared responsibility for road safety across all parts of this system, from road users themselves, to how our roads and vehicles are designed, to how we provide emergency care for those involved in collisions. All parts of the system must work together to reduce deaths and injuries.

This strategy covers a longer period than previous road safety strategies, to align the end date with EU, UN, and WHO road safety plans.

Our new strategy is divided into three phases running from 2021–2024, 2025–2027 and 2028–2030. There will be an action plan for each phase, which take into account emerging trends and the most recent road safety developments and innovations. This will ensure the strategy continuously incorporates the most appropriate, effective actions to reach our goal.

The first phase, which runs until 2024, targets a 15 per cent reduction in deaths and a 10 per

76

measures using period speed limits at schools; •

exploring the potential of developing an online portal for road users to upload footage of road traffic offences which could assist in prosecution; and

•

a review of penalties for serious road traffic offences including impaired driving, nonwearing of seat belts, and carrying children in vehicles without the appropriate safety restraints.

These actions will be carried out in tandem with other measures, such as investment in our roads infrastructure and walking and cycling facilities, and a review of road traffic policy and legislation to prioritise walking and cycling safety.

In order to deliver this ambitious strategy, a cross-government governance structure has been designed which will be overseen by a Ministerial Committee on Road Safety which I co-chair with the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD. This strategy is ambitious, but it is achievable.

We have already demonstrated our ability to make our roads safer, and this strategy builds on progress made to date. Working together, I know we can achieve our targets for 2030, and lay the foundations to achieve Vision Zero in Ireland by 2050. I look forward to achieving Ireland’s safest decade on the roads by 2030, and a safer, healthier Ireland for all.

Promoting safety on Ireland’s buses of achieving zero road deaths or serious injuries by 2050.

Rory Leahy, Bus Éireann’s Chief Safety and Sustainability Officer writes on how Ireland’s national bus company is prioritising a safety culture for public transport.

Covid-19 has presented a significant challenge for public transport. Despite restrictions on capacity and fewer people travelling, 94 per cent of our passengers say they feel safe on our

services. With more than 2,700 employees, 1,150 vehicles and 82 million kilometres clocked up in an average year, with a further 120 million subcontracted kilometres, we feel strongly about our duty to instil trust in the safety of public transport and to contribute to a safety culture for all users of the national transport network.

As we transition to new sustainable fuels, our transport network is changing and will increasingly be shared with greater numbers of people using public transport and modes of active travel.

Safety in 2022 requires greater awareness of and appreciation for all users of our transport network and embracing new innovative safety technologies. This determination to keep safety as a priority, combined with our ambition to grow passenger numbers by 30 per cent by 2030 is why Bus Éireann is renewing our commitment to safety in welcoming our passengers back onboard.

Please contact info@buseireann.ie for further information or call 0818 836 611

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Every day in Ireland, people put their trust in public transport providers to help them on their journeys, whether for work, education, or leisure. Bus Éireann, as Ireland’s national bus company, has a special commitment to each and every one of our 89 million passengers annually to make sure that they reach their destination safely; indeed, safety is one of our five core values.

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Our expert training instructors focus on safe systems of work with our drivers; 200 new drivers joined Bus Éireann in 2021 and we introduced over 200 new vehicles into our fleet, each incorporating the latest safety systems.

Our drivers are supported by 150 craftworkers and 80 engineering operatives at our 17 depots and garages who keep our fleet safely maintained and on the road. Advanced fleet telematics is further improving our ability to measure safer and more fuelefficient driving performance. More than 8,400 vetting applications were processed by Bus Éireann’s school transport team in 2021, signaling our commitment to the safety of some of our most important passengers, 122,000 school children.

The new Road Safety Strategy 20212030 acknowledges that public transport is a safer and more sustainable mode of travel than private cars. Bus Éireann is promoting trust in public transport, aligned with the Road Safety Strategy and Vision Zero, Ireland’s long-term goal 77

Road fatalities at record low in 2021

road safety report

136 road deaths

Up to 31 December 2021 Down 10 on last year

7

Donegal

1

Sligo

4

2

Mayo

12

2

Clare

6

Limerick

6

5

Monaghan

5 7 Cavan Louth 3 Longford 14 Meath 2 Westmeath 21 7 Dublin 0 Kildare 1 2 Wicklow Laois 0 Carlow 11 2 Tipperary Kilkenny 7 Wexford

Roscommon

Galway

Kerry

0 Leitrim

8

1

Waterford

Cork

Please note: all figures are provisional and subject to change.

Figures published by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in January 2022 recorded a 7 per cent drop in Irish road deaths in 2021 compared to 2020, with 19 pedestrian deaths in 2021 the lowest figure since records began.

However, males accounted for almost three-quarters of all deaths in 2021 and the tragic end to 2021 a reminder of just how fragile life is on the road.

Provisional road collision statistics show that the number of road deaths in Ireland in 2021 dropped to a record low, making it the safest year since road deaths were first recorded in 1959.

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A total of 136 people died in 123 fatal road collisions in 2021 compared to 146 deaths in 135 fatal road collisions in 2020. This represents 10 fewer deaths or a 7 per cent drop in road fatalities compared to last year. The figures were published by the RSA following an analysis of provisional fatal collision reports by An Garda Síochána.

The figures also indicate that while 19 pedestrians were killed in 2021, this is the lowest number of pedestrian deaths over the last 25 years since breakdowns 78

by road users became available in 1996.

Increases in fatalities occurred among both drivers (71, an increase of 10) and motorcyclists in 2021 (22, an increase of five). Provisional figures for serious injuries indicate that 1,091 serious injuries were recorded up to the 21 December 2021 compared to 1,105 in 2020.

Commenting on the country’s road safety performance in 2021, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD said: “I want to thank road users for making it a safer year, especially after 2020 was such a bad year for road safety. However, I am conscious that this news will come as cold comfort to those who have been injured and the families left grieving the

loss of a loved one. It reminds us that one death or serious injury is one too many. This is reflected in the ambition of the recently launched Government Road Safety Strategy 2021 to 2030, Our Journey Towards Vision Zero. It aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent over the next decade and achieve no deaths or serious injuries on the road by 2050.”

Liz O’Donnell, Chairperson of the RSA said: “Looking at the provisional road collision data it is encouraging to see that there were decreases in the number of passenger, pedestrian, and cyclist deaths this year. However, the increase in the number of driver deaths and motorcyclist deaths is a cause for concern. The number of serious injuries is also of concern.

“For every road death in 2021 there were over eight people seriously injured.

Prevention of serious injuries needs to be a focus for us all next year. Given that 74 per cent of all road deaths were male, we must continue to target interventions at this group. It is vital that we continue the downward trend across all road user categories in 2022 and beyond. The priority for us all, government departments, agencies, industry, representative bodies, and individuals is to embrace the shared

•

71% (96) of fatalities occurred

Time of day collisions occured

between 12pm and midnight, compared to 58% (85) in 2020.

•

Of the 96 fatalities, 73 (76%) occurred on a weekday (Monday-Friday).

There were 40 fatalities between midnight and 12pm (29%), compared to 61 (42%) in 2020.

•

Of the 40 fatalities, 13

18

18 15

99

8

19 16 14 12

12 12

11

10 10 8

19 17 16

9

8

road safety report

•

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

6 4 2

occurred on Saturdays and Sundays, while 27 occurred on weekdays.

responsibility that’s at the heart of the new road safety strategy.”

During the course of 2021: •

over 175,000 drivers were detected committing speeding offences;

•

over 23,000 detected using a mobile while driving;

•

almost 8,800 arrests were made for driving under the influence of an intoxicant;

•

over 7,000 were detected for seatbelt offences; and

•

over 7,500 unaccompanied learner drivers were detected.

T: 096 25000 E: info@rsa.ie W: www.rsa.ie

1. *Please note, figures are provisional and subject to change.

2021

Road User Fatalities as of 31 December 2021* versus 2020 Road user

2020

2021

Difference

Drivers

61

71

10

Passengers

25

17

-8

Motorcyclists

17

22

5

Cyclists

10

7

-3

Pedestrians

32

19

-13

Other

1

0

-1

Total

146

136

-10

Review of Road Safety in 2021 •

As of 31 December 2021, there have been 123 fatal collisions, which have resulted in 136 fatalities on Irish roads.

•

This represents 12 less fatal collisions and 10 less deaths (-7 per cent) compared to provisional Garda data for 2020.

•

Of fatalities, 24 per cent occurred on an urban road and 76 per cent occurred on a rural road.

•

Over half of fatalities were aged between 16 and 45 years (55 per cent).

•

Of fatalities, 74 per cent (100) were male and 26 per cent (36) were female.

•

April (18), July (17), December (19) and August (22) had the highest number of fatalities.

•

Tuesday (24) was the most dangerous day in 2021, followed by Thursday (22), Monday (21), and Saturday (21).

•

49 per cent of fatalities occurred between 2pm and 10pm.

•

Dublin (21), Meath (14), Galway (12), and Tipperary (11) had the highest number of fatalities (42 per cent of total).

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Sam Waide, Chief Executive, RSA said: “A decrease in road deaths and serious injuries is welcome, yet we must not accept 136 lives lost and 1,091 serious injuries on our roads. Most collisions are preventable. Under Vision Zero, we have all signed up to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries by 2050, and in the immediate term to 2030, reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent. It is critical that we build on the progress achieved in road safety this year. We must not become complacent or let this year become a chance occurrence. It can be done; it must be done. The strategy is our pathway to do so.”

2020

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road safety report

EUROPE MOVES TOWARDS VISION ZERO Adopted in late 2021, the EU’s Road Safety Policy Framework 20212030, Next steps towards ‘Vision Zero’, aims to make road fatalities a thing of the past by 2050. Road deaths have more than halved in the EU since 2000, but progress has “stagnated” and more than 25,000 people per annum are still dying on European roads.

Along with over 25,000 deaths per year, over 135,000 people are seriously injured on European roads per year, figures which EU Commissioner for Transport Adina-Ioana Vălean calls “unacceptable”. The publication of the new road safety policy framework sets out how the EU plans to reach its 2050 goal in the intermediate term, with targets set to halve the number of fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. This marks the first time a target for serious injuries has been set alongside fatalities.

The framework identifies four main areas of intervention to aid Europe in reaching its goals: infrastructure; safe vehicles; safe road use; and fast and effective emergency response.

Infrastructure It is estimated that road infrastructure and surroundings play a contributing role in more than 30 per cent of crashes, with well-designed and properly maintained roads said to reduce the probability of accidents and so-called forgiving roads, laid out using Safe System principles, reduce the severity of those accidents that do take place.

In this context, the EU has mandated risk mapping and safety ratings for all roads that make up the Trans-European Transport Network. The European Road Assessment Programme has carried out assessments across EU states, scoring roads between one and five stars, and some other member states have developed their own methodologies.

The Commission has four main plans to 2030 with regard to infrastructure: to establish an expert group to better match speed limits to road design and layout; to facilitate exchange of experience on Safe System methodologies; to publish the results of member state assessments that are to be completed by the end of 2024; and to analyse the need for further research and innovation in this area.

The Commissions says that its services “will work with member states to define an infrastructure indicator” on the basis of a percentage of distance driven over roads with a safety rating above an agreed threshold. It is estimated within the Commission’s impact assessment that new rules in this area could save “up to 3,200 lives and avoid 20,700 serious injuries by 2030”.

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Credit: Ralmond Spekking

Safe vehicles

road safety report

Under the umbrella of vehicle safety, the Commission is currently: assessing the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of retrofitting the existing fleet, buses and trucks in particular, with advanced driver assistance systems; working with member states, the UN and stakeholders on implementing the new vehicle General Safety Regulation; working with member states to “enable necessary conditions for the proper functioning of the overridable Intelligent Speed Assistance”; and encouraging member states to consider national incentives to fast-track proven technologies.

A key performance indicator for vehicle safety will be a yet-to-be-determined percentage of new passenger cars with a European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) rating of four stars or above. Research indicates that cars with five-star NCAP rating have a 68 per cent lower risk of fatal injury and 23 per cent lower risk of serious injury than two-star cars. It has been “conservatively estimated” that the revised General Safety Regulation, agreed in 2019, will save “at least 7,300 lives and avoid 38,900 serious injuries by 2030, but bringing the expected number of lives saved to 25,000 and 140,000 serious injuries by 2037”.

The Commission is also preparing for connected and automated mobility in this area by means of implementing the EU strategy on automated/connected mobility and adopting specifications on cooperative intelligent systems.

Vision Zero in practice Vision Zero, the multinational traffic safety project that governs the EU’s road policies, has been in operation in Los Angeles since 2015, with the stated goal of eliminating all traffic-related fatalities in the city by the year 2025. In line with this aim, the city has focused on its so-called high-injury streets, 6 per cent of the city’s streets that account for 70 per cent of pedestrian deaths and injuries.

Under the guidelines of Vision Zero, the city is slowly changing these predominantly flat and wide roads, on which motorists tend to speed due to a lack of traffic lights. Lanes have been removed, bike lanes have been widened and more and better-quality pedestrian crossings have been installed as part of this effort.

However, traffic-related deaths and injuries have increased every year since 2015, with 2021 seeing 294 people killed on LA streets in this manner, a 20 per cent increase.

Critics of the city’s policy have cited a lack of funding, too slow a pace to the Vision Zero changes and a lack of institutional focus in the city.

However, in Brussels, the city that is home to European Commission headquarters, a 30km per hour speed limit was imposed on most roads in January 2021, a key policy point of Vision Zero, making speeding on congested city roads less likely. A study released by Brussels-Mobility in January 2022 showed that road deaths had been halved in 2021, with serious injuries also falling by 20 per cent.

Crucially, to combat one of the more frequent criticisms of Vision Zero proposals, the study also found that the new speed limits did not significantly affect journey times.

The so-called Zone 30 policy also cut noise pollution in the city, by up to half in some places, with reductions even recorded on roads that were not subject to the new speed limit.

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Increasing electric vehicles sales fuel cyber concerns road safety report

Back in 2014, Tesla’s Model S had been hacked to make the doors and sunroof open while the car is in motion, and the researchers behind the attack were able to control the systems remotely. Two years later a team of researchers was able to hack the controls of a Tesla Model S from a distance of 12 miles, adjusting the mirrors, locks and even slamming on the brakes. To alleviate concerns, in 2019 the company offered $1 million and a free car for anyone who can hack a Tesla Model 3.

While manufacturers are working on better firewalls now to keep these computers all protected, there are currently millions of cars on the road (basically all of them) that hackers can try to exploit and millions more will be coming before adequate security integration is truly implemented. As far back as January 2016, the auto industry has published its first set of cybersecurity best practices, intended to combat rising and future threats facing the connected car.

Environmental considerations are influencing trends on the vehicle market as a significant shift towards electric vehicles seems to be materialising.

According to an Irish Times article on 4 January 2022, data from Society of the Irish Motor Industry shows the number of electric cars registered for the first time more than doubled last year, comprising nearly one-fifth of all new registrations.

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On 11 January, BreakingNews.ie reported that according to initial registration figures for the first 10 days of the year, hybrids are now the most popular new cars on the Irish market, outselling either petrol or diesel models, which they claim reflects a dramatic change in the Irish market, which was previously dominated by diesel.

The Irish Independent on 16 January reported the words of Fáilte Ireland, the state tourism agency, that “it is looking 82

to the Government's ambitious plans for a substantial increase in the number of electric vehicles on our roads by 2030”.

But while this is meant to have a positive impact on the environment, it raises new concerns regarding cybersecurity. New cars are increasingly becoming networked computers with an engine attached, so imagine a scenario of ransomware infecting cars, locking them down and demanding payment to make them usable again.

But even when a vulnerability is found, manufacturers will have to target millions of vehicles, that have no effective way of being updated, since it’s uncertain who would heed the warning and take it to the dealer for a fix.

Imagine the frequency of Windows security updates, combined with vehicle model recalls over some faulty part.

As we learned with PCs decades ago, mashing up technologies in a rush to market invites maliciousness, and as automotive technologies are forced to start focusing on security as well, governing bodies and manufacturers need to plan ahead, to ensure an interoperability across standards that will make them usable for a variety of platforms.

T: 053 914 6600 E: info@eset.ie W: www.eset.ie

Serious injuries on Irish roads, 2017-2020 application of the definition, post-data collection.

Long-term trend

road safety report

Between 1998 and 2012, there was a steady decline in the number of serious injuries reported on Irish roads.

Thereafter, there was a steady increase in serious injuries up to 2019 when serious injuries peaked at 1,484.

“It is important to point out that in 2014 there was a break in time series for this data. This reflects a change in the mechanism for recording road traffic collisions, as well as a change in the mechanisms whereby the RSA receives collision data from An Garda Síochána,” the Head of Research says.

“We now have access to very good electronic data download on an almost daily basis from An Garda Síochána, alongside enhanced validation and quality control procedures. This new mechanism is providing the RSA with a more complete picture of the number of serious injuries on Irish roads.”

For each death on Irish roads over a four-year period from 2017 to 2020, there were almost nine serious injuries. Velma Burns, Head of Research with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) speaks with eolas about understanding the nature of the problem and key policy measures to address it in the context of the new government Road Safety Strategy for the next decade.

While it is internationally acknowledged that serious injuries can be underreported in police data, the RSA believes that this change in methodology is improving the data the RSA receives.

Meanwhile, serious injury numbers declined in both 2020 and 2021, coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We believe that the drop in traffic volumes observed during the pandemic is a factor contributing to the reduction in serious injuries on our roads,” Burns remarks.

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European comparison Mirroring its ambitious target for fatalities, Our Journey Towards Vision Zero, the Government’s latest road safety strategy for the period between 2021 and 2030, has a target of reducing serious injuries by 50 per cent.

admitted to hospital as an in-patient or injuries such as fracture; concussion; internal injury; crushing; severe cuts or laceration; or severe general shock, whether or not they require hospital admission.

“The new Road Safety Strategy puts fatalities and serious injuries on an equal footing in terms of ambition,” Burns explains.

While gardaí apply this definition when they are tasked with responding to a collision, it is acknowledged that they are not medics, and this poses a challenge at the roadside. To compliment this, therefore, the RSA research department implements quality control procedures to ensure optimal

Definition A serious injury is defined as being an injury which results in a person being 84

Typically, for fatality data, the RSA reports per million of the population which enables performance comparisons with European counterparts. However, there are some challenges in undertaking a similar comparison for serious injuries.

Primarily, there are different serious injury definitions in operation across Europe, hampering the ability to compare rates. To counteract this, there has been a move to compliment collision data with hospital data. The subsequent definition suggested by the

European Commission is the Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS3+). This is an extrapolation of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) system which is used within hospitals.

Who is being seriously injured on our roads?

There are several high-level trends apparent in serious injury data for the years from 2017 to 2020.

Mode of transport Drivers accounted for a plurality (32 per cent) of serious injuries over a four-year period from 2017 to 2020, followed by pedestrians (21 per cent), and cyclists (20 per cent). Overall, vulnerable road users (cyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists) account for over half (54 per cent) of all serious injuries.

The figures for the annual average serious injuries and fatalities by road user group from 2017 to 2020 show that for every one driver killed on Irish roads, there are six drivers sustaining serious injuries each year. “I would like to point out cyclists in particular because the ratio is stark; for every one cyclist killed, there are 25 cyclists seriously injured,” Burns highlights.

Gender

Age For serious injuries, 35 per cent of those seriously injured are in the 26 to 45 age category and 25 per cent are in the 46 to 65 cohort. This is broadly similar with the figures for fatalities with 31 per cent of those killed in the 26 to 45 category and 27 per cent in the 46 to 65 cohort.

Where are these serious injuries occurring?

Three-quarters of driver (75 per cent) and passenger (73 per cent) serious injuries are occurring on higher speed rural roads. However, the picture is very different when considering vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians. At least four-fifths of cyclist (81 per cent) and pedestrian (86 per cent) serious injuries are occurring on urban roads.

When are these serious injuries occurring?

There is a very consistent picture of serious injury across the days of the week, with between 14 and 15 per cent occurring each day.

Policy What then are the policy measures to address the problem of serious injuries on Irish roads?

The new government Road Safety Strategy for the next decade, Our Journey Towards Vision Zero, incorporates a Phase 1 action plan for 2021 to 2024 containing 50 high-impact actions which the RSA believes will make the greatest contribution to achieving the ambitious targets of 50 per cent reductions in fatalities and serious injuries.

“We have also identified 136 support actions which will be instrumental in helping us to achieve these ambitions,” Burns notes, adding: “These are grouped across seven priority intervention areas, broadly aligning with the Safe System Approach, the objective of which is strengthening the system to prevent death and serious injury on our roads.”

3. Safe vehicles: Actions include prioritising in-vehicle safety assist features and developing a national strategy for Connected and Automated Mobility.

4. Safe road use: Actions include penalties for serious road traffic offences and legislating for polydrug, drug, and alcohol use.

5. Post-crash response: Actions include implementing a trauma triage and bypass protocol, as well as providing trauma care and rehabilitation pathways.

6. Safe and healthy modes of transport: Actions include funding active travel infrastructure and developing a National Cycle Network Plan.

7. Safe work-related road use: Actions include improving data sharing to support enforcement, policy development and evaluation, as well as encouraging businesses to sign up to the European Road Safety Charter.

Next steps Summarising, Burns outlines the immediate steps the RSA will now take, including the publication of spotlight reports on trends in serious injuries by road user group, helping to inform evidence-based intervention.

“The RSA will also be initiating collaboration with the HSE and Trinity College Dublin on the reporting of serious injuries using MAIS3+ hospital data. We will also cooperate with our partners and road safety stakeholders to implement the Road Safety Strategy’s Phase 1 actions,” she concludes.

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RSA data indicates that with the exception of motor vehicle passengers, all road user groups exhibited higher proportions of seriously injured males.

This is particularly true for motorcyclists and for pedal cyclists, where men accounted for 94 per cent and 77 per cent of those seriously injured, respectively.

Over the last four years, the greatest number of average annual serious injuries – 373 – occurred in Dublin, followed by Cork and Galway which had average annual serious injuries totalling 136 and 61 respectively.

reviewing the framework for speed limits, including a default speed limit of 30km/h for urban areas, and expanding speed management measures.

road safety report

In Ireland, the first phase of work in translating Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) data to MAIS3+ was completed as a pilot project in 2016. Over the coming decade, the new strategy will ensure increased focus on serious injuries. The RSA is planning a second phase of work with HIPE data which will commence in Q3 2022.

Counties

T: 096 25000 E: info@rsa.ie W: www.rsa.ie

1. Safe roads and roadsides: Actions include developing 1,000km of segregated active travel infrastructure, as well as increasing the length of the divided road network.

2. Safe speeds: Actions include 85

road safety report

Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 in numbers 1998 First ever Road

Contains 50

Safety Strategy

high-impact

published

actions in Phase 1 2021 to 2024

2021 the fifth Road

Average fatalities

Safety Strategy is

from 2017 to 2019:

published

Identifies 7 priority

Lowest number of road

intervention areas

deaths on record in 2018: 137

Road deaths declined by almost 70 per cent between 1998 and 2020

144

Target of 50 per cent reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2030: From 144 to 72 or lower

Average

Target of 50 per

serious

cent reduction in

injuries

serious injuries

from 2017

by 2030: From

to 2019:

1,259 to 630 or

1,259

lower

Safe System’s 7 areas of intervention: 1.

2.

3.

4.

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Safe roads and roadsides: Improving the protective quality of roads and infrastructure.

Safe speeds: Reducing speeds to safe and appropriate levels.

Safe vehicles: Enhancing safety features and roadworthiness of vehicles.

Safe road use: Improving road user standards and behaviours through traffic legislation and enforcement.

5.

6.

7.

Post-crash response: Improving the treatment and rehabilitation received by collision casualties.

Safe and healthy modes of travel: Promoting public and active transport while protecting those road users.

Safe work-related road use: Improving safety management of work-related journeys.

4

Transdev: Powering Ireland towards Vision Zero Seamus Egan, MD, TDLR, tells eolas: “I particularly welcome the seven Safe System priority intervention areas that have been adopted in this strategy.

road safety report

These aims will greatly assist Luas in operating a safe tram experience. It is ideal to review safe speeds and road use, particularly where road user standards and their behaviours will be viewed in line with traffic legislation and supported by enforcement.

“Equally, the aim to promote safe and healthy modes of travel, actively encouraging people to engage with public transport, is to be warmly welcomed.”

Transdev Dublin Light Rail (TDLR) as operator and maintainer of Luas, Dublin's light rail network, supports the Government's Road Safety Strategy of bringing Ireland to Vision Zero — no road deaths or serious injuries by 2050.

Safety is at the centre of Transdev's corporate values. We understand the need to provide safe road and rail transport systems to support the wellbeing of citizens and the economy.

Supporting Vision Zero will contribute to our collective safety ensuring a seamless and smart way of living.

to stay safe when using the road is critical.”

Transdev will always ensure we educate the public through our awareness campaigns on staying safe and staying vigilant when on the tramway or when interfacing with it as a road user.

We republished our Luas Safety message last November, which simply says: “Seconds could change your life.”

This message applies to motorists and cyclists who on occasion make splitsecond decisions to gamble a red traffic light when a Luas is approaching.

Equally, the message is aimed at pedestrians who regretfully run for trams but forget to look and see if a tram is coming in the other direction. These behaviours can sadly result in injury or death.

Through education and defensive driving by Luas Drivers, who are trained to anticipate the actions of others in all weather conditions, plus enforcement and changing our behavior, we will deliver Vision Zero.

1. Safe roads and roadsides.

To improve the protective quality of our roads and infrastructure.

2. Safe speeds. To reduce speeds to safe, appropriate levels for the roads being used, and the road users using them.

3. Safe vehicles. To enhance the safety features and roadworthiness of vehicles on our roads.

4. Safe road use. To improve road user standards and behaviours in line with traffic legislation, supported by enforcement.

5. Post-crash response. To improve the treatment and rehabilitation of collision casualties.

6. Safe and healthy modes of travel. To promote and protect road users engaging in public or active transport.

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The Luas network, like most tramways' shares space with people, walking, cycling and driving. Luas is a success because it is a safe transport mode that integrates well with other users.

However, since commencing operation in 2004, Transdev's safety experience shows that human error and breaching the rules of the road are responsible for some of the most serious incidents involving trams with cars, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Egan adds: “Sharing information on how

For the 2021–2030 strategy, seven Safe System priority intervention areas have been adopted, and the aim for each of these is provided below:

7. Safe work-related road use.

To improve safety management of work-related journeys.

T: 01 461 4910 E: info@transdev.ie

This experience is one of the many reasons why Transdev support the Seven Safe Systems Approach.

Transdev Dublin Light Rail Red Cow, Clondalkin, D22 C5 P3

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road safety report

Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 in numbers (continued) Three phases of action plans

Phase 1:

1.

Phase 1 2021 to 2024

•

2.

Phase 2 2025 to 2027

3.

Phase 3 2028 to 2030

15 per cent reduction in deaths from 144 to 122 or lower

•

10 per cent reduction in serious injuries from 1,259 to 1,133 or lower

Vision Zero objective: By 2050 no-one will be killed or seriously injured on Ireland’s roads

Fatalities 2013 to 2020: • • •

1,303 fatalities 53 per cent were car users 21 per cent were pedestrians

• • •

18 per cent were aged 15-24 19 per cent were aged 25-34 14 per cent were aged 35-44

• • • •

12 per cent were motorcyclists 8 per cent were goods, PSV, and other road users 6 per cent were cyclists 4 per cent were aged 0-14

• • •

12 per cent were aged 45-54 11 per cent were aged 55-64 23 per cent were aged 65+

Serious injuries in 2019: •

1,367 serious injuries

•

41 per cent were car users

•

20 per cent were pedestrians

•

20 per cent were motorcyclists

•

15 per cent were goods, PSV, and other

•

Male serious injuries exceeded female serious injuries at a ratio of 2:1

•

54 per cent were seriously injured on urban roads and 46 per cent on rural roads

road users

•

7 per cent were aged 0-14

•

5 per cent were cyclists

•

18 per cent were aged 15-24

•

Serious injuries exceeded fatalities at a

•

18 per cent were aged 25-34

ratio of 10:1

•

16 per cent were aged 35-44

•

14 per cent were aged 45-54

•

11 per cent were aged 55-64

•

14 per cent were aged 65+

Contributory factors • •

25 per cent of drivers killed were exceeding a

Cost:

safe speed (2013 to 2017)

•

€3.12 million Cost of a fatal collision in 2019

36 per cent of drivers killed had a positive

•

€447,384 Cost of a serious injury collision in

toxicology for alcohol (2013 to 2017) •

26 per cent of drivers killed were not wearing

2019 •

a seat belt (2013 to 2020)

€1.29 billion Estimated financial cost of road traffic collisions in 2019

2020: • 88

147 people were killed and 1,111 were seriously injured in collisions

GoSafe: Promoting safer, smarter, cleaner journeys

road safety report

Communities nationally face challenges in ensuring safer, easier mobility options for all users. GoSafe is a leader in safe, smart, and clean transportation. We serve our customers by providing technology-based solutions to make mobility safer, smarter, and cleaner.

Safer Speeding, reckless, and distracted driving continues to have a profound and devastating impact on drivers, passengers, and families.

Protecting our vulnerable school children is at the forefront of our approach and we support periodic speed limit solutions which allows authorities to reduce speed limits at the approaches to schools during school times.

Smarter As part of a network operating around the globe, GoSafe sits at the centre of the mobility ecosystem, one that brings together vehicles, devices, information, and people to solve the most complex challenges faced by our customers.

Smarter technologies we utilise include variable speed limits on motorways that allows operators to smooth the flow of traffic by regulating speeds. This measure works by triggering a reduction in speed limits before congestion reaches a critical level minimising flow breakdown and improving journey reliability. Another use-case is where variable speed technology is proactively utilised to reduce speed limits on roads with microclimates that are susceptible to intense rain, hail, or snow.

Cleaner Everyone deserves to breath clean air and our technologies have the power to help change the world, from saving lives to the environment. Our average and variable speed technologies encourage motorists to drive in a smoother manner helping to reduce fuel consumption, noise pollution and harmful omissions whilst our congestion and low/ultra-low emission zones for cities help clean up the air that we breathe.

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We support safer communities by installing, maintaining and managing technology solutions that positively impact on driver behaviour, enhance road safety and optimise traffic mobility.

Partnering with stakeholders, we create the foundation for a safe transportation ecosystem. We work with customers by installing leading photo enforcement technology to positively impact driver behaviour and enhance road safety.

These include bus lane, red light, railway crossing, speed, and distracted driving cameras.

At GoSafe, we focus on safer mobility solutions for the most vulnerable road users to help make sure that everyone arrives home safely.

Our ‘Red X’ solutions indicate a hazard, breakdown, or the presence of emergency services on the motorway ahead. The driver is automatically altered to lane closures giving them time to adjust their driving to altered conditions ahead.

T: +353 1 469 1200 E: info@egis.ie W: www.egis-projects.ie

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EUROPEAN ROAD SAFETY KEY FIGURES road safety report

European Commission data for road fatalities in 2020 show an “unprecedented” annual fall of 17 per cent in the number of road fatalities in the EU compared to 2019.

18,000

50%

road fatalities in 2020 on EU roads

the targeted decrease in EU road fatalities for the 2010–2020 decade

17%

54%

annual decrease in road fatalities in the EU

the reduction of fatalities from 2010–2020 in Greece, the only member state to exceed 50%

36% decrease in EU road fatalities between 2010–2020

18

20% or more decrease of road fatalities recorded in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Malta, and Slovenia

9

6%

30%

countries recorded reductions of more than 40%

the increase in road deaths in Ireland 2019–2020

the decrease in road deaths in Ireland 2010–2020

70%

5 90

member states registered lowest ever number of road fatalities in 2020

countries recorded increases: Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Finland

of road fatalities in urban areas involve vulnerable road users, i.e., pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

Offshore wind report

Sponsored by

offshore wind report

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

Climate Minister Eamon Ryan TD: Significant milestones on offshore journey Climate change poses one of the greatest challenges facing the world and our shared future. The need to combat the devastating effects it has on our environment, society and economy is urgent, writes Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD. We are now seeing a significant call to action, especially here in Ireland, to introduce new measures and practical solutions to help combat climate change and transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable economy.

The Government released a new Climate Action Plan in October 2021, which sets out a course of action to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and make Ireland carbon 92

neutral by 2050. As part of the Plan, the government has committed to increasing our generation of electricity from renewable sources. We need to increase this proportion to up to 80 per cent by 2030 to meet the set targets.

To achieve this, we must switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources such as wind energy. One of our first milestones is to reach 5GW of offshore renewable energy.

electricity in Ireland was first introduced

The use of wind turbines to generate

offshore wind energy is enormous.

with the commission of first commercial wind farm in Bellacorrick, County Mayo in 1992. Since then, significant progress in technology, policy, and legislation has laid the ground for Ireland to become one of the leading producers of wind energy in Europe. With Ireland’s maritime area seven times the size of its landmass and our location at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, the potential for

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

offshore wind report

Until recently, much of this offshore capacity was out of our reach as no legislative basis existed to regulate the use of our maritime area outside the 12 nautical mile coastal zone provided for in the Foreshore Act (1933). However, with the enactment of the Marine Area Planning (MAP) Bill last December, we not only have a legislative basis to harness this untapped potential, but also to manage and protect our maritime area. The comprehensive and coherent marine planning regime laid out in the MAP Act also provides clarity to developers on the offshore wind consenting system for developments in our maritime area.

The establishment of a new Maritime Area Consent (MAC) regime is a main feature of the MAP Act and will be a first step in a new and streamlined planning process. Developers assessed for and awarded a MAC can proceed to apply for development permission (planning permission), where they will undergo environmental assessment.

The MAC regime will assess the viability of applicants in key areas, including financial and technical competency, in advance of developers proceeding to environmental studies. The robust assessment of potential offshore developers who apply for a MAC will ensure that only the most viable offshore projects will have the opportunity to apply for development permission from An Bord Pleanála.

ensuring the most viable projects to be operational by 2030 can enter the new planning system.

After this first batch of MACs, responsibility will be handed over to a new agency, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA). MARA is of the highest priority for Government and is scheduled to be established and operational from 2023.

Projects granted a MAC will be eligible to enter an auction-based scheme which invites renewable electricity projects to bid for capacity and receive a guaranteed price for the electricity they generate. This is the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), and its purpose is to ensure the best price is obtained for the consumer. At least three offshore auctions are planned for this decade, and by holding these auctions periodically, we will be able to take advantage of the latest technologies, potentially generating energy more efficiently at a lower cost.

Projects looking for support under the new RESS will need to make Community Benefit Fund contributions at a fixed rate of €2/MWh of energy produced. This will generate significant funds which will be available to benefit coastal communities. My department is currently finalising the terms and conditions which will define how this will work.

My department recently ran a public consultation on how the second batch of projects will be selected to enter the new consenting system with the aim of

Extensive work is being carried out elsewhere to facilitate the sustainable development of offshore renewable energy (ORE) in Ireland. Both EirGrid

As Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, I will have the responsibility of inviting MAC applications from an initial batch of offshore renewable energy projects, known as the ‘relevant projects’. The grant of the first MACs this year will represent a significant milestone in realising our ambitious climate targets of 2030 5GW target and a long-term plan of a potential of at least 30GW of floating wind thereafter.

and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities are implementing actions to ensure the electricity grid can support the planned offshore capacity. The recently published Port Policy Statement sets out a multiport approach to the roll-out of the ORE industry in Ireland and will be instrumental in increasing flexibility, reducing costs and delays and derisking the construction phase of ORE projects.

The development of the offshore sector will also generate job opportunities in coastal areas and provide supply chain opportunities for local SMEs. Meanwhile, work is proceeding on a new Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP II) to identify areas most suitable for post-2030 deployment of wind, wave, and tidal technologies, while considering the need to protect marine biodiversity.

The establishment of offshore wind in Ireland is a significant undertaking, involving action across many areas of government. Work is well underway to deliver significant benefits not only in the short term, but also in securing our future for generations to come.

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Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

offshore wind report

Powering change in Irish offshore ambitions: Lessons learned from ScotWind

SSE Renewables is building more offshore wind than any other company in the world right now.

Maria Ryan, Director of Development at SSE Renewables, says Ireland must follow the ScotWind model and embrace real ambition in developing the next phase of offshore wind.

The end of 2021 was notable for several significant milestones in the establishment of Ireland’s offshore wind sector. The first of these was the passing of the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Bill through all stages of the Oireachtas, enacting legislation which will provide the process to obtain planning consent for future offshore wind farms.

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In another milestone, the Government engaged with the renewable energy industry to get feedback on how they would like to see the first offshore auction (ORESS1) designed and operated.

And looking beyond a landmark ORESS1 auction for the first phase of offshore wind projects in the Irish Sea, government and industry have now started to jointly explore how we can progress our ambitions for the next round of offshore wind development off our island, with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) launching a

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consultation on offshore wind Phase 2 in December.

The Phase 2 consultation looks at a range of issues with the aim of defining how we want to set the sector up to achieve the Irish Government’s ambition of delivering 5GW of offshore wind by 2030 and when should we take certain steps so that ambition can be met.

At SSE Renewables, we’ve been steadily progressing our two Phase 2 projects: Braymore Wind Park off the coast of County Louth and Celtic Sea Array off the Waterford coast. We are targeting a minimum generation capacity of 800MW at each offshore site which together would be capable of powering a combined total of over 1.6 million homes and offsetting almost two billion kilos of carbon annually. These projects would make a significant contribution to Ireland’s 2030 offshore wind target, but to be able to do so we will require complete confidence and clarity in the new regime under which they will be delivered.

We know from the MAP legislation that Phase 2 projects will need to wait until the establishment

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

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SSE Renewables, one of the big ScotWind winners, says the lessons from ScotWind can accelerate and maximise the delivery of Ireland's Phase 2 offshore projects.

of a new consenting authority, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), before they can secure seabed and begin their consenting journey which isn’t likely until 2023. This time horizon to MARA gives government and industry an opportunity to look overseas to see what lessons we can learn from other successful markets.

The Phase 2 consultation also asks respondents to consider at what stage competing applications for the same seabed should be assessed. These assessments will decide who gets to progress with a project in a particular area. SSE Renewables fully supports DECC’s proposal for a competitive Maritime Area

“As a society in the midst of a climate crisis, is settling for 5GW of offshore wind energy by 2030 really enough?”

Consent (MAC) assessment early in the process which would allocate seabed to developers. This will avoid multiple projects undertaking advanced development in overlapping seabed areas, something which would ultimately push costs up for the Irish offshore wind sector.

ScotWind success

At SSE Renewables we’re building more offshore wind than any other company in the world right now, and we’re building that offshore wind in UK waters. This includes the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea, as well as Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, the 1.1GW Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm in the Firth of Forth. Our future development pipeline includes Scotland’s next global-scale opportunity, the 4.1GW Berwick Bank super-project.

In recent months, Scotland has pushed new offshore ambition into overdrive. The muchanticipated ScotWind seabed leasing process run by Crown Estate Scotland was one of the most hotly contested competitions that the global offshore wind sector has ever seen.

Bidders from around the globe alongside local developers such as my own company lined up to bid for seabed rights to develop fixed as well as new floating offshore wind farms, with up to 10GW of new generation up for grabs.

The results, when they were published in January, delivered a power punch to that original 10GW target, and saw lease option agreements awarded to 17 bidders to deliver an eye-watering 25GW of clean, green electricity; enough to power tens of millions of homes, and power the expanding electrification of the Scottish economy.

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The Phase 2 consultation does provide the pathway to help deliver Ireland’s 5GW next generation of offshore wind and reaching this milestone is welcome.

can be achieved when policy makers lift the limits from ambition.

It’s become one of the most exciting moments in the story of renewable energy. Little wonder Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP 4

However, as a society in the midst of a climate crisis and which needs to challenge itself to do more, is settling for 5GW by the end of the decade really enough?

If we look across the Irish Sea to our nearest neighbour, the UK, we can easily observe what

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hailed the ScotWind opportunity as truly historic, and that the results made headlines globally.

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For our part at SSE Renewables, we’re delighted to have been awarded the rights, along with our ScotWind partners Marubeni Corporation and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, to develop a new giant floating offshore wind farm in the North Sea capable of delivering at least 2.6GW of Scotland’s newest ambition. When complete our ScotWind project will become one of the world’s first and largest floating offshore wind farms and will put SSE Renewables well on target towards meeting our goal of delivering over a quarter of the UK’s 2030 offshore wind target.

Ireland next As a relatively small market delivering large-scale ambitions, Scotland’s model points a potential way forward for Ireland. But it also demonstrates the level of competition that Ireland, as a market, is up against in terms of global competition to attract the required investment, skills, and equipment needed to deliver offshore wind farms of scale here.

We need to take the lessons we can from ScotWind so we can help accelerate and maximise the delivery of Phase 2 projects as quickly as possible. In our experience, it can take 10 years to develop an offshore project and while there has been a huge amount of progress, we only have eight years left to meet the 2030 targets. So, we need to ensure we continue with pace and resource sufficiently to ensure we deliver.

ScotWind presents learnings which are crucial in how you design a successfully functioning offshore wind market. The process put a cap on bid prices to avoid passing on overly burdensome costs to the consumer as well as to avoid leases being awarded purely based on how deep a bidders’ pockets are. To differentiate between applicants, they considered criteria such as experience and track record of delivery. This was to ensure that those awarded seabed have a strong chance of successfully delivering decarbonisation at scale within a given timeframe.

This model would work well in Ireland to minimise cost to the public whilst ensuring the maximum chance of delivery to meet government targets.

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Getting it right The speed at which the MAP Bill passed through all stages of the Oireachtas can only be commended. It’s essential now that we see the same level of purpose and enthusiasm ploughed into the establishment of MARA over this year and next, into the issuing of grid offers for Phase 1 projects, and into kicking off the first ORESS so we can begin getting turbines in Irish waters.

We must see political will and sufficiently resourced administrative action more greatly aligned on the important goal of delivery.

“We need to learn from ScotWind so we can accelerate and maximise the delivery of Phase 2 projects as quickly as possible” ScotWind provides a blueprint for Phase 2 in Ireland and it’s fantastic to see DECC consulting early on the model for the Phase 2 process.

Some of the features they suggest make eminent sense to bring certainty to the Irish offshore sector, such as running a competitive MAC process akin to ScotWind.

We should also take inspiration from ScotWind in the scale and pace of the ambition. Where the State can reduce risk and increase the likelihood of those awarded seabed ultimately delivering projects, it must. Where it can implement processes as quickly as possible to identify credible developers, and then provide them with the seabed needed to deliver its 5GW target at a minimum, it must. And where it can begin lifting the limit to our current ambition so that the State can create a market that stimulates a global appetite to invest here, it must.

If it does, then the Irish State will be all the better for it and will fast-track itself to the leadership position in offshore wind which it has the potential to become. In doing so, we’ll save money for consumers, help grow local supply chains, and set Ireland on course to achieve ambitious levels of decarbonisation and take our place on the global offshore wind stage.

W: sserenewables.com/offshoreinireland

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

Ireland moves closer to first offshore auction

In October 2021, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications opened a consultation on the holding of ORESS 1, with the aim of engaging stakeholders and gathering feedback on the terms and conditions of the auction. The consultation closed on 6 December 2021.

The terms and conditions of ORESS 1 were also issued in October, in the weeks directly preceding the opening of the consultation. Due to the scale and natural of typical offshore wind farming, initial auction such as ORESS 1 are required in order to support the long-term potential of the technology. This approach received European state aid clearance in 2020 with the holding of the RESS 1 auction.

Speaking upon the launch of the consultation, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD said: “I welcome the publication of the draft terms and conditions of the first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1) for consultation. The growth of offshore wind energy will play a major role in securing a supply of sustainable electricity for homes and businesses all over Ireland and will allow us to electrify

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With the passage of the Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021, Ireland is moving closer to the holding of its first offshore wind auction under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme, known as ORESS 1. sectors such as heat and transport. It will also play a key role in meeting our climate goals, to reduce overall emissions by 51 per cent by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050.”

Plans are afoot for the State to hold at least three offshore auctions, but due to the long development timelines of offshore wind projects, only the first two of these are expected to contribute to the target of 5GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 as a means of contributing to an overall goal of 80 per cent of electricity coming from renewables.

With the passage of the Maritime Area Planning Bill, attention will now turn to the fledgling Maritime Area Consent process and the issuing of such consents to phase one offshore projects.

Offshore grid connection assessment process must also be established, and these are being progressed by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.

The State has a sea area of 490,000km2, approximately seven times its landmass. There is long-term potential for 70GW of ocean energy in this area, through wind, wave and tidal power, all within 100km of the coastline.

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Time running out for offshore wind targets

By the end of 2022, we will know whether the Government’s target of 5,000MW of offshore wind energy by the end of 2030 is achievable, writes Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland.

It is clear that, right now, we are not on track and that the emissions savings required from offshore wind in the proposed carbon budgets are unlikely to materialise.

There has been progress. The National Marine Planning Framework is complete. The Maritime Area Planning Act was passed by the Oireachtas just before Christmas. The model for our offshore electricity grid has been identified.

But this does not change the fact that we are losing time and that, today, we are less likely to hit our 2030 target than we were when the original Climate Action Plan was published.

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The reality remains that the relevant government departments and state agencies responsible for enabling the development of offshore wind energy are chronically short of staff and resources while our industry is increasingly short of time.

The passage of the Maritime Area Planning Act was a significant achievement but it is still true that, based on the conversations I have every week with companies in the international supply chain, there is diminishing confidence that Ireland’s 2030 targets are achievable.

The concerns being highlighted by our members typically focus on two key areas which we must get right: grid and planning.

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Electricity grid Our Phase One projects, which we hope to see connected in 2027-2028, urgently need certainty on how the grid connection process will work and the timelines that will be involved. The policy eventually implemented by the CRU must be clear and legally robust.

Our members have a wealth of experience in this area from markets all over Europe. EirGrid should work closely with industry and use this experience to ensure we can construct and connect these projects as efficiently and as cost-effectively as possible, ultimately bringing the best value to the consumer.

It is also important for EirGrid to work closely with our members as they update the Shaping Our Electricity Future strategy, which was published last year. While it is a step in the right direction, this will not deliver the grid infrastructure we will need to cut carbon emissions as required by the Climate Change Advisory Council nor to deliver a net-zero electricity system by 2035.

We cannot decarbonise our electricity supply without delivering the projects EirGrid has announced and supporting them is a litmus test that will tell us who in Ireland is serious about tackling climate change. But we need to go

Arklow Bank wind farm. Credit: GE.

afford for projects to be delayed for years in the courts.

While the Phase One projects are the priority, we must design a grid for the next generation of projects and particularly for the floating wind projects which have the potential to make Ireland a renewable energy superpower.

That is why it is so important to ensure that industry – and government – is confident that An Bord Pleanála has the expertise and the budget to deal with a coming rush of applications for some of the biggest and most complex infrastructure projects we will build in Ireland.

Planning system

That confidence is not in industry today and its absence is particularly worrying when contracts under the first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction will be awarded before planning permission is confirmed.

As we focus our efforts on ensuring we have an electricity grid fit for purpose we must also create a planning system that can process enough applications over the next four years to ensure competitive auctions and, ultimately, 5,000MW of wind power.

Those of our members who struggle to get onshore projects through the Irish planning

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further and particularly identify how we can strengthen the grid on the south and west coast.

Overcoming challenges These are big challenges, but they can be overcome. We know the target can still be

WindFloat being towed away after turbine is installed at Ferrol Outer Harbor, Spain.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Principle Power. Artist: DOCK90.

system are understandably nervous when they consider the challenge of getting far larger and more complex projects through a system that often appears designed to prevent, rather than to enable, development.

The Maritime Area Planning Act provides a good start, but we need to ensure that the secondary legislation and the offshore planning guidelines which will come from the Act provide our projects with a level of post-consent flexibility that makes it practical to develop offshore wind farms in Ireland.

There is also the potential for decisions to be challenged at every stage by means of judicial reviews. People are entitled to justice and to participate in the planning process, but we cannot

For us to deliver we need a much stronger electricity grid, a clear process for connecting projects and a planning system that makes delivery possible.

We will only see this if essential resources are invested in critical government departments and State agencies like An Bord Pleanála, National Parks and Wildlife Service, EirGrid, ESB Networks and the CRU to enable them, to empower us, to deliver the target set in the Programme for Government.

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If our members are obliged, once planning permission has been obtained, to submit a new consent application every time a turbine needs to be moved a few metres or a cable route amended, then these projects will very quickly grind to a halt as planning authorities are overwhelmed.

achieved, but these projects will take time to build, and time is something we are fast running out of.

Together, we can – we must – connect the huge volumes of offshore wind energy that can decarbonise our electricity system and set us on the path to true energy independence.

E: office@windenergyireland.com W: windenergyireland.com

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TEN-E Regulation: No longer oceans apart Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure, the TEN-E Regulation. A proposal to revise the TEN-E Regulation was adopted in December 2020 for the purposes of modernising the existing regulation and to fully align it with the Green Deal objectives and was finally agreed following trilogue negotiations between the EU institutions at 5am on 15 December 2021.

In essence, the TEN-E Regulation sets out guidelines for linking the energy infrastructure of EU countries needed to achieve the EU’s climate neutrality objective by 2050 and outlines the process for selecting projects eligible to receive EU funds and policy support.

Philip Lee

Siobhán McCabe

Ireland and Europe must decarbonise energy completely by 2050. Offshore renewable electricity is going to form the backbone of these efforts to decarbonise. In 2020, the EU published its European Offshore Wind Strategy which included the objective to have an installed capacity of 300GW of offshore wind by 2050. That is nearly 55 times the current total installed wind capacity on the island of Ireland which is 5.5GW. Philip Lee, Partner and Executive Chairman, and Siobhán McCabe

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Energy Partner at Philip Lee, write.

Meeting these targets and objectives will require massive scaling up of the development of offshore projects and at the greatest of speed, unparalleled with any past development of other energy technologies.

Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in the world. The seas of Ireland have some of the highest wind speeds globally, and more importantly unlike other areas with 100

high wind speeds, the Irish seas are located close to massive centres of consumption, namely mainland Europe.

Irish offshore wind has huge potential.

However, transporting the energy from these offshore wind farms to mainland Europe will be a herculean task and will require the investment of billions of euros in the necessary infrastructure.

A large part of the answer to how this can be achieved is found in the revised

The TEN-E Regulation focuses on projects of common interest (PCIs) which are infrastructure projects considered necessary for delivering on EU objectives in the energy field.

Typically, PCIs involve at least two member states by crossing the border of two or more member states or the project is located on the territory of one member state and has a significant cross-border impact.

However, of great importance to Ireland is the fact that the TEN-E Regulation also includes within its scope projects of mutual interest (PMIs). Essentially PMIs are similar to PCIs, except that they involve projects connecting the EU with third countries, such as in Ireland’s case, the UK. In order to come within its scope, PMIs will need to demonstrate that they bring significant benefits at EU-level. In addition, the third country will need to demonstrate high level of convergence of the EU policy framework and legal enforcement mechanisms to support the overall policy objectives of the EU. The third country must also commit to facilitate a similar timeline for accelerated implementation and other policy support measures as stipulated in the TEN-E Regulation. It will be of fundamental importance to Ireland that the UK is

considered to comply with these third country requirements for the success of PMIs and, at first glance, this appears to be the case. There is no doubt that projects proposed to be developed offshore and not so accredited as PCIs or PMIs will struggle.

Perhaps the most exciting provisions of the TEN-E Regulation are those dealing with the integrated offshore development plans, which will be included in the 10-year network development plans (albeit agreements made under these provisions will be

“The seas of Ireland have some of the highest wind speeds in the world and more importantly, unlike other areas with high wind speeds, the Irish seas are located close to massive centres of consumption, namely mainland Europe. Irish offshore wind has huge potential.” non-binding). Member states, with the support of the Commission, will now jointly define and agree on the amount of offshore renewable generation to be deployed within each sea basin by 2050, with intermediate steps in 2030 and 2040. These objectives will be based on the national energy and climate plans, the offshore renewable potential of each sea basin, environmental protections, climate adaptation and other uses of the sea, as well as the EU’s decarbonisation targets. By the end of July 2023, the ENTSO for Electricity, with involvement from others, will develop integrated offshore network development plans for each sea basin. These strategic plans should provide a high-level outlook for future offshore generation and interconnection.

The TEN-E Regulation will drive the collective planning and development of cross-border energy infrastructure and offshore projects, creating a more

integrated energy system. The development of offshore grids and offshore connections will determine Ireland’s future and role in this energy revolution. However, for Ireland to succeed, there must be immediate additional human and financial resources allocated to all of the institutions involved, including An Bord Pleanála, MARA and the courts.

Progress must commence immediately on developing PCIs and PMIs. The development of these projects and infrastructure will enable Ireland to achieve climate neutrality, become a centre of energy production exporting green energy to mainland Europe, and be energy secure for the first time in its history.

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The TEN-E Regulation requires member states to give PCIs and PMIs priority status to ensure rapid administrative treatment. In order to simplify and expedite the permitting process, each member state is required to nominate a competent body to coordinate the process and to ensure that a maximum period of three-and-a-half years is allowed for the totality of the planning process (subject to an extension of nine months). In Ireland, An Bord Pleanála has been nominated as the relevant authority for this purpose.

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The TEN-E Regulation identifies priority corridors which cover different geographic regions in the field of electricity, gas, and oil infrastructure as priority areas for investments. EU support for development in these corridors will connect regions currently isolated from European energy markets, strengthen existing cross-border interconnection and assist integrated renewable energy. Of particular interest to Ireland is the electricity corridors and offshore grid corridors. In respect of electricity corridors, Ireland is a member of the regional group the North South electricity interconnections in Western Europe (NSI West Electricity) which relates to interconnections between member states of the region and the Mediterranean area. Ireland is also a member of the Northern Seas offshore grid (NSOG). This regional group focuses on offshore electricity grid development, integrated offshore electricity including, where appropriate, hydrogen grid development in the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea, the English Channel, and neighbouring waters to transport electricity or in some cases hydrogen from renewable offshore energy sources to centres of consumption and storage or to increase cross border renewable energy exchange.

E: plee@philiplee.ie smccabe@philiplee.ie W: www.philiplee.ie 101

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Offshore: Routes to market and further reduction of risk Nguyen Dinh, head of hydrogen and principal in Ireland and Vietnam at OWC, and Claire Atkins, OWC Ireland country manager and a specialist in offshore wind supply chain, infrastructure and installation, discuss routes to market options and further reduction of risk and costs for offshore wind energy.

Dinh contextualises where Irish offshore wind finds itself at the moment: “The Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan Phase 1 identifies the potential for offshore wind farm development of up to 39GW without significant adverse effects on the environment. The potential for Irish offshore energy including wave and tidal could be 70GW, 10 times our national electricity needs. Ireland’s Climate Action Plan has very ambitious targets of 40 per cent of energy and 70 (now 80) per cent of electricity from renewables by 2030.

“However, we know that electricity consumes only 30-35 per cent of total energy and that the other 65-70 per cent is consumed by transport, heat and other sectors, which is mostly imported from other countries. So, the question is: how we can deliver that potential to all sectors?”

“Hydrogen may have its challenges but deepwater wind projects fitted with electrolysers could change the way we store and transport energy.”

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Dinh mentions that EirWind’s Irish Offshore Wind Blueprint 2020-2050, published in July 2020 and synthesised from more than 40 research reports, sets the vision for 2030 to meet the Government’s target and develop up to 7.3GW of wind generation.

If the infrastructure required can be developed and scaled up by 2040, an expected 13.8GW of offshore wind is to be delivered. By 2050, Ireland expects to be a global exporter of offshore power and hydrogen exporting about 30 percent by 2040 and more than 60 percent by 2050 with regards to hydrogen production. Delivering the blueprint targets will bring in enormous economic, social, and environmental benefits to Ireland.

With this expectation looming over the development of offshore wind in Ireland, Dinh and Atkins explain the typical development of a project, particularly with regard to costs and possible risks: “In general, most offshore wind projects will have five stages. Stage 1, development and consenting, takes considerable investment and the risks here include regulatory uncertainty, costly surveys and experience of the consultant and other contractors used. The next stage, Stage 2, is component manufacturing which entails significant capital expenditure for components, structure and turbine manufacturing. There are multiple risks in this stage which include contracting risks, a lack of standardisation, lack of risk sharing, and insufficient capacity or inexperienced contractors.

“Stage 3, transportation and installation, these costs are heavily dependent on infrastructure availability and logistics. Particularly when you consider key elements such as port infrastructure. Stage 4, operations and maintenance, governs the revenue but is largely dependent on the reliability of O&M measures and sufficient infrastructure availability. The last stage, Stage 5, is decommissioning. It is important to weigh up the costs and the risks associated with all five stages, in order to

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

support the developers involved,” says Atkins.

Dinh expands into floating offshore wind (FOW), detailing the fact that research tells us that prospective costs for substructure and foundations, can carry considerably larger costs.

Potential opportunities for cost reduction, he says, lie in further support for the FOW sector.

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“The FOW sector needs experienced engineers as well; for example, OWC have gained significant FOW experience through the work that we have undertaken as Owners Engineer on the Erebus FOW project in the Celtic Sea and other projects,” he says.

“In Ireland, when we are developing FOW, besides infrastructure, route to market is the other important issue. Hydrogen may have its challenges but deepwater wind projects fitted with electrolysers could change the way we store and transport energy. Moving to FOW will not only change the way we deliver energy, but how we store and transport it as well, as mentioned in a recent article by RV Ahilan from the AqualisBraemar LOC Group.”

Turning his eye to the potential export market for offshore wind and hydrogen, Dinh cites the example of the German market. Recent estimates state that by 2050, Germans may have to import more than 50 per cent of hydrogen due to their limited capacity of green hydrogen production. Thus, how Ireland delivers green hydrogen to foreign markets should now be answered to facilitate the developers and investors as well the infrastructure and supply chain that will be required, that all take time to realise.

“There are several ways to transport hydrogen or ammonia to markets, for example through tankers or pipelines. Transporting hydrogen by tankers could be more economical past 1,500km as pointed out in our recent study. Converting to ammonia for transporting by tankers could be economical at both shorter and longer distances.”

For exporting electricity, developments of the existing interconnectors (East-West and Moyle) and the proposed ones, the Celtic, Greenlink and Organic Power interconnectors have together shown great efforts, however the increasing demand could exceed that capacity. In gas infrastructure, the Moffat Interconnector and the Shannon LNG project mean that by 2030, 30GW of capacity is expected. When the Celtic Interconnector is in operation, Ireland will have roughly 3GW of electricity interconnector capacity, and Dinh says it is “questionable as to whether or not this will be sufficient, so this is something that will need to be considered now for the future”.

Finally, Dinh looks to how Ireland would see the benefits to the power system: “We have to maintain the frequency at exactly 50 Hz. Besides the important roles of pumped storage, batteries and demand response, the US Department of Energy considers the potential role of electrolysers in grid services, and we can see from their tests that grids with electrolysers are more stable than those without. That translates to the further consolidation of the whole integrated energy system, and it would be an answer.”

Atkins emphasises the critical role that infrastructure, including transmission systems, interconnectors, ports, legislation and consenting, all play in ensuring that our offshore wind projects and hydrogen projects are well planned.

“Ireland has strategically developed R&D capacity around offshore and marine renewable energy including the world-class Lir National Ocean Test Facility in Cork.

It will be more beneficial if Ireland continues that strategy by advancing investment in planning, legislation, infrastructure and further R&D as those will help to bring down the costs of offshore wind and green hydrogen in a sustainable way,” Atkins and Dinh conclude.

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Maritime area planning Intended to be the centrepiece of a new streamlined consenting regime which will enable the swift deployment of offshore wind energy infrastructure, ultimately delivering 5GW by 2030, the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 (MAP Act) was signed into law in December 2021.

The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 is one component of the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) which was published in summer 2021. Parallel to the National Planning Framework, the NMPF illustrates the vision for Ireland’s maritime area, totalling approximately 495,000km2, until 2040.

The Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021 passed all stages of the Oireachtas on 17 December and was enacted on 23 December 2021.

It was heralded by government as “the biggest reform of marine governance since the foundation of the state”. The Act provides the legal and administrative underpinning for a new planning regime in the maritime area, facilitating the development of offshore energy. It is intended to strike a balance between unlocking Ireland’s offshore wind potential, while also protecting the marine environment.

Replacing existing development consent regimes with a single consent principle, or Maritime Area Consent (a seabed lease), it will enable development consent, or planning permission, with one environmental assessment. The new processes provided for within the Act will apply to foreshore licences and leases, as well as planning permissions for marine projects, from seaweed harvesting to offshore renewable energy infrastructure.

Significantly, the legislation seeks to ensure that the consent mechanism for offshore renewable energy projects: •

complies with EU environmental assessment obligations;

•

complies with Aarhus Convention on public participation; and

•

enables Ireland to deliver projects conducive to national climate targets for 2030.

Ireland’s first maritime spatial plan, the NMPF, was published in tandem with the MAP Bill. While undertaking their functions, public bodies, particularly those responsible for issuing authorisation or consent for offshore activities, must comply with the objectives of the NMPF.

Designated Maritime Area Plans Providing for Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs), or portions of the maritime area which are selected for specific usage, the Act also requires applications for Marine Area Consents (MACs) within DMAPs to be subject to a specific process.

Marine Area Consent The MAC regime requires that developers acquire a MAC prior to development permission applications to An Bord Pleanála. Therefore, MACs operate as a stepping stone into the development consent system and a decision on a MAC application must be made within 90 days.

Within Schedule 5 of the Act, there are several criteria used to determine approval for MAC applications. These include:

Maritime Area Regulatory Authority

•

public interest;

The legislation also creates a new regulatory authority, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA). Alongside its enforcement functions, MARA will assume responsibility for issuing foreshore licences from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Likewise, the authority will also be empowered to issue Maritime Area Consents (equivalent to foreshore leases).

•

ministerial guidelines;

•

developer competence;

•

consistency with the NMPF; and

•

preparatory work undertaken by the developer, including stakeholder engagement.

Beginning its work in January 2022, the MARA implementation committee has been allocated a €2 million budget. Until MARA is established (Q1 2023) and resourced, the Minister will retain responsibility for granting applications for licences and leases to legacy projects or “special MAC cases”.

Similarly, while aquaculture activities will continue to be processed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Minister has indicated that this function will eventually transfer to MARA.

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Seven offshore wind projects granted “relevant project” status in May 2020 – i.e., offshore renewable energy projects which hold a foreshore authorisation, are in the process of applying for

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

foreshore authorisation, or are subject to an EirGrid connection agreement – can be invited by the Minister to apply for the first MACs. It is intended that these “special MAC cases” will contribute to the delivery of 5GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.

“The Maritime Area Planning Bill represents a giant leap forward towards meeting our ambitious climate action goals and targets...”

In January 2022, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD, launched a consultation the new MAC consent regime for offshore renewable energy. “As Minister for the Environment, I will have the responsibility of inviting Maritime Area Consent applications from an initial batch of offshore renewable energy projects,” he said.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD

“This Bill gives legal underpinning to an entirely new marine planning system, which balances our huge offshore wind energy potential with the need to protect our marine environment...”

Minister of State for Planning and Local Government Peter Burke TD

“The passage of this Bill is a critical and hugely welcome development in our efforts to mitigate climate change by decarbonising our energy sources through the development of offshore renewable energy...”

Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD

offshore wind report

COMMENTARY

Development Consent Mirroring the consenting process for onshore strategic infrastructure development, the MAP Act provides that particular offshore developments, such as offshore renewable energy projects, obtain planning permission under the amended Planning and Development Act 2000. Decisions on such applications rests with An Bord Pleanála. Characteristics of this regime include: •

potential for An Bord Pleanála to receive ministerial direction on priority applications;

•

pre-application discussions between An Bord Pleanála and developers;

•

oral hearings and public participation as facilitated by An Bord Pleanála;

•

completion of environmental impact assessments/appropriate assessments as required by An Bord Pleanála; and

•

provision of reasoned decisions by An Bord Pleanála, within 18 weeks of the application being lodged.

Meanwhile, certain activities within the newly defined nearshore (three nautical miles from the high-water mark) will also require planning permission under the Planning and Development Act. However, the adjacent local authority, or coastal planning authority, will be responsible for processing these applications, not An Bord Pleanála.

Marine planning guidelines Facilitating the Minister to issue marine planning guidelines, the Act requires that these are held in regard by public bodies in the performance of their functions. Such guidelines may also include specific marine planning requirements necessitating public body compliance. Similarly, the Minister may also issue policy directives which with relevant public bodies must comply in undertaking their work.

Judicial review The MAP Act provides that decisions made by either the Minister or MARA on MAC applications and licences, as well as decisions made by An Bord Pleanála on permissions for offshore development, can be challenged by judicial review. Taken within eight weeks of a decision, any challenge the High Court must first demonstrate both “substantial grounds” and “sufficient interest”.

Regardless of challenge by judicial review, a developer can still apply for and receive development permission from An Bord Pleanála. When the judicial review proceedings have concluded, these permissions may come into effect.

While the Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021 received broad support, in the Seanad Final Stage, concerns were raised by independent Seanadóir Alice-Mary Higgins: “If marine and environmental protection is nowhere in this process, it is a travesty that the Government would go ahead with this process… allowing people to occupy it and carry out different activities as if it is an asset, rather than the part of the planet and the oceans we are responsible for. It is a worrying frame.”

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Unlocking Ireland’s offshore wind pipeline will be key to meeting Ireland’s renewables targets rates, driven primarily by specific growth in high energy industries such as data centres and electric vehicles.

The Irish Government’s “80 by 30” target – whereby 80 per cent of electricity will be generated by renewable sources by 2030 – is an ambitious one and based on the Climate Action Plan, this will see current renewable energy generation capacity increase from 4.5 gigawatts (GW) today to circa 15GW by 2030, including 4GW of incremental onshore wind, 5GW of offshore wind and circa 2GW of solar capacity.

Russell Smyth

James Delahunt

Ireland is the leader in Europe when it comes to onshore wind with the highest percentage of onshore wind generation as a percentage of our total electricity generation at over 40 per cent. This is a remarkable achievement for a country of our size and a testament to good policy support, visionary developers and committed investors over the last 25 years.

As Ireland seeks to rapidly increase its share of renewable electricity generation over the coming decade and beyond, we will now need to achieve similar successes in offshore

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wind. Russell Smyth, Corporate Finance Partner, and James Delahunt, Corporate Finance Director, of KPMG write.

A clear offshore wind policy landscape is key to attracting international investment into the sector and enabling developers to progress with projects. This article considers where offshore wind sits in the context of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan targets, looks at the success of Scotland’s recent auction and considers what Ireland needs to do next.

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Climate Action Plan targets Ireland is expected to experience strong, sustained growth in electricity demand over the coming years, with estimates putting it at circa 30 per cent growth by 2030 and circa 80 per cent growth by 2040. These are remarkable growth

It is expected that the majority of this 5GW of offshore will be met by the existing Relevant Status offshore wind projects, which have a combined capacity of circa 4.5GW. Much needs to be done to deliver on these projects alone, but the question is also being asked as to whether Ireland’s offshore wind ambition is big enough, particularly when we look at our counterparts across the Irish Sea.

Scotland has set a good example in offshore wind that Ireland should follow From a development perspective it was notable to observe the Crown Estate Scotland, which is the semi-state agency that manages the rights to British foreshore licences, announce in January 2022 the results of its ScotWind tender process to secure development rights for offshore wind projects off the coast of Scotland.

The Crown Estate Scotland awarded contract rights to 17 energy companies to build almost 25GW of offshore wind in Scotland, almost two thirds of which will be floating offshore wind. A cohort of some of the largest energy companies in the world paid a combined €838 million to secure licences to develop

both floating and fixed offshore wind projects off the Scottish coast, with one single large project being a 3GW floating wind farm proposal from Scottish Power Renewables, a subsidiary business of Spanish utilities company Iberdrola. This project alone would represent 60 per cent of Ireland’s offshore wind ambition to 2030.

It is notable that this auction has been achieved despite Scotland having poor grid capacity (similar to Ireland), resulting in limited options for local uptake of the huge volumes of power that will be generated from these projects. However, rather than wait for upgraded grid infrastructure, Scotland have deemed that the excess energy will find a suitable offtake or use through the utilisation of electricity from offshore wind to facilitate the production of green hydrogen and ammonia.

The successful development of these projects should see Scotland set to become a major hub for the further development of this sector in the years ahead.

What Ireland needs to do From an Irish perspective, 2021 saw initial signs of growing frustrations from some of the existing participants in the market at the pace of development in the sector. In November 2021, Equinor announced that it had pulled out of the Irish market in what was a blow to Ireland’s climate ambitions, particularly that it happened in the same week that the government published its new Climate Action Plan.

It was positive to see the Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021 pass through all stages of the Oireachtas in December 2021. The Bill establishes in law a new planning regime for the maritime area and will replace the existing State and

“The question is also being asked as to whether Ireland’s offshore wind ambition is big enough, particularly when we look at our counterparts across the Irish Sea.” development consent regimes and streamline arrangements on the basis of a single consent principle, i.e., one state consent (Maritime Area Consent) to enable occupation of the Maritime Area and one development consent (planning permission), with a single environmental assessment.

However, this is just one step with regards the policy changes that Ireland needs to deliver. These include the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Agency, the introduction of legislation for designation of Marine Protected Areas, the design of a process for issuing seabed leases akin to ScotWind, and the delivery of the first offshore renewable energy support schemes.

International appetite for Irish projects remains strong, but should not be taken for granted From a KPMG perspective, we spend a lot of time speaking with large international players in the energy

markets who have an appetite to invest in projects in Ireland. This appetite remains strong, notwithstanding the Equinor news in 2021. However, it is important that Ireland recognises that these international investors have opportunities in dozens of countries throughout the world, and Ireland is ultimately competing for their capital, against the likes of Scotland. We should not take their interest and appetite for granted and do what we can from a policy perspective to ensure that both the existing market participants are supported and enabled to deliver their projects and the Phase 2 projects are accelerated as quicky as possible to ensure Ireland harnesses its energy generation potential, become a leader in offshore wind and ultimately help insulate Ireland from price shocks in years to come.

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Whilst senior government ministers, including Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister Michael McGrath were quick to downplay the significance of Equinor’s exit, the energy industry itself was concerned, highlighting that a key issue was the long outdated regulatory and planning system for foreshore developments in Ireland that were legislated for in the 1933 Foreshore Act.

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Other successful bidders included SSE Renewables, Falck Renewables, Vattenfall, BayWa, DEME, Magnora and Northland Power.

E: russell.smyth@kpmg.ie / james.delahunt@kpmg.ie W: www.kpmg.ie

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25th May

Date for your diary!

Irish Climate Summit 2022 25th May 2022 • Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin Last year, Ireland took significant steps on the journey towards realising its climate action ambitions.

Aligned with EU ambitions, the current Programme for Government and the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 commit Ireland to halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Climate Action Plan 2021 is Ireland’s roadmap to achieving these objectives and will be updated annually. The changes required must be shouldered by the whole of Irish society and the economy.

In this context, the 2022 conference will examine the latest ambitions, challenges, and opportunities of Ireland’s response to the climate crisis.

Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities

Key issues to be examined:

There are a number of opportunities for interested organisations to become involved with this conference as sponsors or exhibitors. This is an excellent way for organisations to raise their profile with a key audience of senior decision-makers from across the climate sector in Ireland. For further information on how your organisation can benefit, contact Ciarán Galway on 01 661 3755 or email ciaran.galway@eolasmagazine.ie

 National climate governance  Implementing the Climate Action Plan  Revising Europe’s climate, energy, and transport legislation  Irish youth climate activism  Sectoral leaders’ dialogue  Carbon budgeting: Deciding sectoral emissions ceilings  Responding to the biodiversity crisis  Climate action and the role of local government  Financing a net zero carbon transition by 2050  Public attitudes to climate action  Community-led climate action

Register now online www.irishclimatesummit.ie

Online

www.irishclimatesummit.ie

By email

registration@environmentireland.ie

By telephone

+353 (0) 1 661 3755

offshore wind report

Maritime Area Planning Act signed into law 23 December 2021

Alison Fanagan

The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act provides for new consenting processes for foreshore licences, foreshore leases and planning permissions for various marine projects, including offshore renewable energy infrastructure, write Alison Fanagan, Consultant, Environmental and Planning, and John Dallas, Partner, Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources, at A&L Goodbody.

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It also creates a new regulatory authority, and a regime for designating protected marine areas. It provides a “fit for purpose” mechanism for the consenting of offshore renewable energy projects in a way that complies with European environmental assessment obligations and facilitates public participation. It gives Ireland a realistic chance of delivering new renewable energy sources to meet its 2030 climate change targets.

Maritime Area Regulatory Authority The MAP Act establishes the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA). MARA will issue licences to conduct surveys in the marine environment (currently termed foreshore licences in Ireland, equivalent to England’s seabed survey licences), and Maritime Area Consents (MACs)

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(currently termed foreshore leases in Ireland, equivalent to a Crown Estate Lease). MARA will also have various enforcement functions. MARA’s functions will transition across once it is set up and resourced, likely in early 2023. The Minister will grant applications for licences and MACs in the interim.

Licensing for marine surveys The MAP Act allows for public participation and environmental assessment as part of the licence application process. The conditions that can attach to a licence are very similar to those that currently apply to foreshore licences.

Maritime Area Consent (MAC) regime A MAC is the new “State consent” to allow for the occupation of a specified part of the maritime

John Dallas

area, on an exclusive or non-exclusive basis.

MARA will be the authority responsible for determining these applications from 2023. The relevant Minister will exercise MARA’s functions in the meantime. Developers must hold a MAC before they can apply to An Bord Pleanála for development consent.

The criteria to be applied when determining whether to grant a MAC are set out in Schedule 5 of the MAP Act and are focused on the technical and financial competence of the applicant rather than the merits of the project itself.

Maritime Spatial Planning and Designated Maritime Area Plans

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It is expected that the "relevant projects” announced on 19 May 2020 will be invited by the Minister to apply for the first MACs in or around April 2022. These are offshore renewable energy projects which were, as of 31 December 2019, either the subject of an application for a “foreshore authorisation" (i.e., a foreshore lease under the Foreshore Act 1933); or already held a foreshore authorisation or had a valid connection agreement from a transmission system operator (or confirmation of eligibility for such an agreement). The stated hope of the Irish Government (announced when launching its draft Climate Action legislation) is that many of these projects will be consented and operational so as to deliver 5GW of offshore wind energy to help Ireland meet its 2030 climate targets.

Certain activities within the nearshore area will require planning permission under the PDA, with the adjacent local authority, referred to as a Coastal Planning Authority, rather than An Bord Pleanála, responsible for processing such applications.

The MAP Act expands on the existing regime for maritime spatial planning, required under the European Union Maritime Spatial Planning Directive. The first such spatial plan published in 2022 – the National Marine Planning Framework – sets out various objectives and policies to guide activities and development in the offshore area. Separate legislation is underway for the designation of more marine protected areas.

Ministerial Guidelines and policy directive The MAP Act allows the Minister to issue accompanying regulations, as well as marine planning guidelines and policy directives, all very similar to existing provisions for land-based planning. These are expected to be published/consulted on during 2022.

The MAP Act requires decisions on MAC applications to be made within 90 days. The MAP Act does not provide for public participation, appropriate assessment, or environmental impact assessment in relation to these applications as a MAC is not a “development consent” for the purposes of the applicable EU requirements.

However, evidence of stakeholder engagement on the project is one of the Schedule 5 criteria, which the Minister/MARA must take into account when deciding whether to grant a MAC. MARA can attach conditions to a MAC, as set out in Schedule 6.

Next steps

Development consent

Authors:

The MAP Act requires specified categories of marine development, including in particular offshore renewable energy projects, to obtain planning permission under the existing Planning and Development Act 2000 (the PDA), amended by the MAP Act for that purpose. An Bord Pleanála will be the decision-maker for offshore renewable energy project applications. The consenting regime is closely modelled on the existing consenting regime for onshore strategic infrastructure development, which applications are also made directly to An Bord Pleanála, who then carry out public consultation and environmental assessment.

Alison Fanagan afanagan@algoodbody.com

A consultation process has now opened on the intended MAC application process for Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects, as well as on the detail of the financial and technical competence criteria to be fulfilled. The Government is hopeful that the first MAC applications will be lodged in April 2022, with the planning applications being submitted to the Board in Q3/4 2022. An Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (ORESS1) is expected to open for applications in Q4 2022.

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John Dallas jdallas@algoodbody.com Other key contacts: Alan Roberts aroberts@algoodbody.com Ross Moore rmoore@algoodbody.com W: www.algoodbody.com

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Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

Ireland’s offshore wind capabilities are evolving rapidly Ireland’s capabilities around the rapidly developing offshore wind (OW) energy are evolving fast and in a wide range of sectors. This development is often preceded by strategic research involving extensive collaboration between industry and academia within and outside the island, writes Vikram Pakrashi, Associate Professor at University College Dublin.

There is an active involvement of the funding bodies within Ireland and in the EU to support such research and the niche skills, insights, knowhow, and technologies developed will bolster a strongly bourgeoning area of employment. Operations, maintenance, and lifetime performance of offshore wind seem to dominate this theme.

While manufacturing of offshore wind turbine is typically carried out by large international companies, lifetime maintenance and performance related aspects are typically carried out by local, or smaller companies. This is an opportunity for Ireland since several of these aspects require advanced and multidisciplinary understanding of the design and performance of offshore wind turbines, along with their monitoring, measurement, and subsequent assessments. The need for complex modelling, understanding of new materials and designs, monitoring through sensors, along with related data analytics also makes it well aligned to the highly educated workforce of Ireland with a

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focus on digital solutions. These are areas where it is also possible for Irish companies to be competitive globally.

Energy has remained a core vertical for UCD, and offshore wind continues to be a priority area of focus. In the coming five years, research in UCD’s Energy Institute (UCD-EI) on offshore wind will investigate several fundamental and applied aspects in offshore wind which will evolve many nascent concepts towards industrial practice. A range of interconnected works will address the reduction of lifetime cost and risk of offshore wind technologies and operations for reliable, long-life, cheaper, hazard-aware, and resilient electricity. This will be achieved by assimilating fundamental physics with engineering, climate research and data.

Through the all-island NexSys project, funded by the Science Foundation Ireland, philanthropy and several industries, this research will: •

establish bespoke operations and maintenance (O&M) tools for OW via

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

advanced climate science and data analytics; •

create a deep and new understanding of mechanical and structural responses of OW turbines and their components impacting their lifetime safety and performance;

•

develop bespoke monitoring and system identification tools and benchmarks for O&M, including estimates of remaining life and digital twinning;

•

demonstrate new controls for improved lifetime performance; and

•

assess interconnected offshore grids, rational business processes, and public acceptance.

This research is supported by excellent industrial and scientific networks and the results will contribute to various global task groups of the International Energy Agency. Collaboration is envisaged with scientists, industry, and

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland recently funded a range of projects on offshore wind, including REMOTEWIND, which supports bespoke non-contact solutions for inspection of onshore and offshore wind farms through flying and swimming drones, along with non-contact laser measurements. On the other hand, the WindLEDERR project will investigate decision support options for end-of-life wind turbines for extension, decommissioning, repowering, and repurposing. The TwinFarm project on the other hand, will look into digital twinning and control aspects. Site repowering and lifetime geotechnical challenges are also addressed through recent projects funded by the Irish Research Council. Whether from a public goods perspective, or from an industry-led idea with focused intellectual property generation, extensive research in the OW sector will also lead to a wealth of knowhow which will be particularly relevant in terms of training up of workforces globally on niche areas. Enterprise Ireland recently launched the SEMPRE project which includes extensive research and testing to address key technical challenges in the development of a new robotic seabed drilling system for the installation, testing, and certification of marine anchors using micropile technology. UCD plays a key role in developing such solutions and translating new knowledge into industrially usable guidelines, recommendations, and pathways towards standardisation. At EU level, such standardisation pathways are also

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policymakers globally, along with national centre with complementary skills, like the SFI MaREI centre and Ireland’s National Ocean Testing Facility LiR. Sustained research efforts like this not only create a national network around the topic, but also develop a culture of thought, training, and action, which can be reflected in practice.

being forged by organisations like Eurostruct, through their dedicated task-groups. These projects will liaise with the objectives and individual works in NexSys as well.

Independently, various components of OW technology might be well known, but the combined interdisciplinary requirements of the sector are multifaceted and in flux. Research support around it thus needs to be holistic and sustained in its approach to obtain the full benefit of the efforts and investments. We need to create extensive evidence bases, tools and training to translate ideas into practice.

While science and technology research often take the spotlight, economic and social aspects of this sector are a major and important area, which probably require further attention. For example, the concept of just transition has started gaining traction and will continue to be extremely important for sustainable and resilient decisions on this topic. NexSys will be a leading project in making this happen for Ireland. Over time, we can only expect to see more dialogue between science and technology with the economic and social aspects.

Another aspect that will remain important is the understanding and handling of uncertainties in these areas since they directly link back to the idea of risk and resilience over the lifetime of the turbines. In a multidisciplinary environment, understanding of such risks and uncertainties becomes a major challenge. Here, Ireland continues to attract leaders around the topic, not just through research but also being a host to major conferences in risk and uncertainties (e.g., ICASP14, Dublin, 2023).

Ireland has a clear research focus on the topic of offshore wind and in a wide context. A continued support in the area should clearly develop a highly trained, innovative, and competitive workforce.

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Shaping the transformation of Ireland’s electricity grid further renewable generators, and ultimately, net zero by 2050.

EirGrid consulted on four different approaches to developing the grid.

1. Generation-led approach: Put clean electricity generation close to where most power is used. The most likely outcome from this approach would be, for example, more wind farms off the east coast of the island of Ireland.

2. Developer-led approach: Let developers decide where to locate clean electricity generation. At least 10 of the projects needed to make the grid ready for this approach will be significant in size as they will need to move large amounts of power over long distances.

Mark Foley, Chief Executive, EirGrid.

In November, EirGrid Chief Executive, Mark Foley and Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, unveiled the Shaping Our Electricity Future roadmap, a blueprint for radically transforming the country’s electricity grid.

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EirGrid was asked by the Government to transform the electricity system in anticipation of a future without coal, oil, peat and ultimately one with net zero emissions. Specifically, EirGrid is to redevelop the grid to manage the vast majority of Ireland’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030.

The Shaping Our Electricity Future roadmap was the result of a comprehensive 14-week consultation across all sectors of society and two 114

years of research by industry experts and tens of millions of technical simulations.

It provides an outline of the key developments needed from a networks, engagement, operations, and market perspective to support a secure transition to at least 70 per cent renewables on the electricity grid by 2030. This is an important step on the journey towards 80 per cent renewables, which will present opportunities for

3. Technology-led approach: Try new technological ways to move clean electricity across the country. This approach uses several high-voltage underground electricity cables moving power from the west to the east of Ireland.

4. Demand-led approach: Put large electricity users close to sources of clean electricity generation.

The final roadmap contains a blended approach that looks at grid development from an economic, technical, social acceptance and deliverability perspective.

The plan comprises 40 new grid infrastructure projects, representing a total investment of over €1 billion. This is on top of an existing €2.2 billion programme of grid infrastructure projects which EirGrid has already engaged with communities on and which we have funding for.

Liam Ryan, EirGrid chief innovation and planning officer, says: “Under the roadmap, there will be greater control over where future generation and demand is located, minimising the need

for the development of new electricity lines. Most of the new projects identified in the blueprint are upgrades to existing infrastructure.”

Key to the development of the roadmap was a national public consultation that ran for 14 weeks from 8 March.

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The consultation was supported by a range of traditional and innovative engagement and participation activities.

These included a deliberative dialogue (modelled on Ireland’s Citizens Assembly), complemented by national fora involving industry, civil society, and youth. In addition to this, EirGrid engaged at grassroots level with rural communities, local businesses, and young people.

In response, there were 492 submissions from members of the general public and 80 industry submissions.

To reflect the feedback received from the public, the following changes were made to the EirGrid models: •

•

•

•

Large energy users: It is anticipated that some new large energy users will locate in regional towns and cities. We anticipate the power demand for these will be 316MW. Microgeneration: In Ireland, there is an assumption of 500MW of microgeneration by 2030. EirGrid originally modelled between 100MW and 400MW. Onshore wind: EirGrid is planning for an additional 1.3GW of onshore wind generation to be in place by 2030.

Storage: We are planning for 1.65GW of battery storage to be in place by 2030. This is more than the 750MW originally modelled and will help store wind and solar energy to be used when there is no sun or wind.

Ryan comments: “During the public consultation, a large amount of feedback

supported offshore generation. Many stakeholders felt that offshore generation has a less negative environmental and visual impact. A few stakeholders pointed out that there is less opposition to the construction of offshore than onshore projects.

“Reflecting this support for offshore electricity development in Ireland, the figure in the final roadmap was increased to 5GW.” In addition to this, stakeholders expressed the view that there should be much more offshore on the west coast of Ireland, utilising the Atlantic Ocean.

However, EirGrid has assumed limited capacity for offshore wind development off the south and west coast. Offshore wind development in the short term remains to be predominantly focused on the east coast.

It is not expected that the technology for offshore wind will be developed maturely enough to facilitate large scale offshore wind on the west coast in the short term.

The east coast of Ireland has shallower waters, making offshore a more viable option in the short term. It also important to note that the Government has given priority to several east coast offshore developments in the context of the Marine Planning and Development Management legislation.

Onshore wind continues to play a major role in delivering the renewable ambition, with new capacity connecting in areas of the grid with relatively fewer network constraints. This responds to strong support for the generation-led approach which achieves benefits for consumers by reducing both network constraints, and the scale and quantity of network reinforcements required.

In Ireland, the final roadmap includes an additional 1.3GW of new onshore renewable electricity on 2020 levels.

There will also be significant growth in solar power. On top of the 500MW of microgeneration, EirGrid is planning for a further 1,000MW of commercial solar developments, delivering a total of 1,500MW by 2030.

Ryan concludes: “EirGrid is committed to updating our roadmap at regular intervals to cater for evolving energy policy. In parallel, we will continue to work with key stakeholders in exploring the necessary market reforms to attract investment in renewable energy and system services and to optimise participation of community owned and demand-based energy resources.”

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•

Offshore wind: In Ireland, EirGrid is now planning for 5GW of offshore wind generation to be in place by 2030. This is in line with Government policy. Most of this will be based off the east coast of Ireland as it is more technologically feasible than the south and west coasts. We originally modelled between 1.8GW and 4.5GW.

E: david.martin@eirgrid.com W: www.eirgridgroup.com

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Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition

Denmark’s energy islands: A paradigm shift offshore wind report

Denmark’s offshore wind legacy is well established. Now, undertaking the largest construction project in its history, with a projected cost of €28 billion, the Scandinavian country is seeking to at least quadruple its offshore wind capacity.

Illustration of the proposed North Sea energy island. Credit: Danish Energy Agency

Having constructed the world’s first offshore wind farm in 1991, Denmark now looks set to build on this legacy by creating the world’s first energy islands. Located in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea respectively, these islands will exploit the northern European nation’s vast offshore wind resources, directly supplying 5GW of energy to the Danish electricity grid.

Political context Denmark’s Climate Act 2020 commits to an ambition of reducing Denmark’s greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent by 2030 when compared with 1990, and CO2 neutrality by 2050. In late 2020, it also announced that it was ending all new North Sea oil and gas exploration.

On 22 June 2020, agreement on the establishment of two energy islands was reached under the Danish Climate Agreement for Energy and Industry 2020. With cross-party consensus, the agreement was reach between the Danish Government, the Liberal Party, Danish People’s Party, Social Liberal Party, Socialist People’s Party, the Red-Green Alliance, Conservative Party, Liberal Alliance, and the Alternative. The same parties also reached agreement in February 2021 that the energy island in the North Sea would be artificially constructed and that the Danish State would be a majority owner with one or several private sector partners.

“Green power plants at sea” Until now, offshore wind farms were constructed as individual, nonconnected units. Through the creation of several continuously connected

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offshore wind farms to a hub, a green, offshore power plant will be established.

Operating as hubs, the islands will act as transmission centres; gathering electricity from hundreds of surrounding offshore wind farms and distributing it to the Danish grid and neighbouring countries. As such, green electricity can be distributed from an area with significant wind resources to areas of high electricity demand.

Together, the two energy islands will triple Denmark’s electricity production from offshore wind farms.

Branded as “green power plants at sea”, the energy islands will enable offshore wind turbines to be located further from the Danish coast and distribute power more efficiently between several neighbouring countries.

While offshore wind farms will connect with electrotechnical facilities – to enable the collection and distribution of energy – on each island, they will not be identical. The Baltic Sea energy island will be established on Bornholm, meaning that the electrotechnical equipment will be located on land. Meanwhile, in the North Sea, an artificial island will be constructed.

Delivering Ireland’s offshore wind ambition Initially, the offshore wind farms located near to the two energy islands will produce a total of 5GW of electricity; 3GW from the North Sea and 2GW from the Baltic Sea. Ultimately, it is intended that the energy island and surrounding wind farms in the North Sea will expand capacity to generate and distribute 10GW.

the electricity consumption of three million households (twice the capacity of all existing Danish offshore wind turbines combined and half of Denmark’s total electricity consumption), further electrification of Denmark and neighbouring countries could be facilitated by phased expansion to 10GW (10 million homes). Detail within the political agreement around the islands also includes ambitions for power-to-x, as well as utility-scale battery storage technology for surplus electricity when supply exceeds demand.

North Sea

While its exact size is yet to be determined, the North Sea island is expected to have a footprint of between 120,000 and 460,000m2. As well as being established further out at sea, up to 600 wind turbines (200 initially) in the surrounding wind farms are anticipated to stand up to 260m tall; much larger than existing turbines.

The size and design of the island will be determined by the Danish State as majority (at least 50.1 per cent) owner of the island in partnership with private sector actors.

With initial capacity of 3GW, corresponding with

Baltic Sea

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Already comprising over 400 named islands, Denmark is proposing the construction of a new 120,000m2 artificial island. Located in the North Sea, between 80 and 100km west of Thorsminde, Jutland, the artificial island will be home to electrotechnical facilities to route electricity from the surrounding windfarms into the electricity grid for the first 3GW of offshore wind. There is also potential for service facilities and a harbour.

Simultaneously, electrotechnical equipment will be also housed on the natural island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Offshore wind farms will be established 20km south-southwest of Bornholm and electricity generated routed to grids on Zealand and neighbouring countries. These wind farms will have a capacity of 2GW, corresponding with the electricity consumption of two million households.

A location for the offshore wind farms near energy island Bornholm was determined in November 2021, alongside a gross area for the location of the energy island and associated wind farms in the North Sea.

Next steps In relation to the tendering process, the Danish Energy Authority anticipates that the winning bid will be announced in early 2023. Meanwhile, Energinet, the Danish transmission system operator (TSO), has tasked Fugro and MMT with conducting geophysical studies of the sea bed for the North Sea island. These surveys are expected to be completed by September 2022.

Furthermore, Fugro has been awarded another contract for cable route surveys, while Intertek has been commission to undertake additional analysis.

In the Baltic Sea, Energinet has tasked Ramboll engineering consultancy with conducting environmental studies for the energy island until 2024. In a recent development, the Danish Energy Authority has instructed Energinet expand the area of consideration and examine the possibility of increasing capacity to 3GW. Speaking on his country’s strides towards establishing the world’s first energy islands, Minister for Climate Dan Jørgensen MF remarked: “We are now entering a new era in the Danish wind adventure… The energy islands will help to increase the amount of renewable energy significantly, and at the same time we will make it possible to transform the green power into fuels for heavy transport both on land, at sea and in the air. In other words, the energy islands supply the green electricity, which is the prerequisite for the climate-neutral Denmark and Europe of the future.”

It is intended that the Danish energy island project will act as a blueprint for other nations seeking to undertake such action.

“The energy islands supply the green electricity, which is the prerequisite for the climate-neutral Denmark and Europe of the future.”

Danish Minister for Climate Dan Jørgensen MF

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eolas europe

European Single Market Scoreboard 2021

The European Commission’s Single Market Scoreboard measures the performance of the single market, and the performance of member states within the market. Its 2021 edition finds Ireland in a deficit of transposing directives into law but performing well in reducing its single market-related pending infringement cases.

Transposition Ireland’s transposition deficit for 2020, as included in the 2021 scoreboard, stands at 1.3 per cent, a 0.5 percentage point increase from 2019’s 0.8 per cent, making the State one of 11 EU member states whose increasing deficit over 2021 brought them over the EU target and average of 1 per cent. The proposed target in the Single Market Act is 0.5 per cent.

With 13 overdue directives, an increase of five was recorded. One directive, 2014/52/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment was found to be three-and-a-half years overdue, a figure which greatly distorted the average delay of transposition. The average was found to be 12.2 months, which was a five-month decrease from 2020 nonetheless, although still markedly above the EU average of 7.4 months.

Ireland has also recorded its largest ever conformity deficit of 1.3 per cent, with 13

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directives presumed to have been incorrectly transposed. While this represents a 0.2 percentage point increase from 2019, it is below the EU average of 1.4 per cent. The proposed target for this area under the Single Market Act is again 0.5 per cent.

member state with the second longest average duration of cases, 51.6 months for the 21 single market-related cases not yet sent to the European Court. The EU average stands at 37.3 months. One-third of Irish pending cases have been pending for between six and 15 years.

Infringements

Ireland recorded the second biggest decrease in average time to comply with court rulings, from 47.5 months in 2019 to 27.4 months in 2020. The EU average was 31.7 months for 2020. This decrease is mainly due to the fact that four cases are now more than five years old and are no longer part of the calculation.

With 23 single market-related pending cases, Ireland is one of just five member states to have reduced their number of cases within the year 2020. The EU average stands at 31 and Ireland has now not exceeded the average in this regard since May 2010. 2020 saw the launching of 198 new cases in Europe, not including those for late transposition; only three of these were against Ireland, the lowest number among member states and well below the average of seven.

Ireland’s most problematic sectors were found to be environment (eight pending cases, including four on water protection and management) and transport (four pending cases). Ireland is however the

Internal Market Information System Ireland’s performance within the Internal Market Information System was found to be “excellent”, with all five indicators showing performance above the EEA average and four indicators (requests accepted within one week, requests answered by the deadline agreed, satisfaction with timeliness of replies as

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Evolution of the deficit in transposition of EU directives 7.00% 6.00% 5.00% 4.00% 3.00% 2.00% 1.00%

Ire land

19 20 20

18

20

17

20

16

20

15

20

14

20

13

20

20

11 12 20

10

20

09

20

08

20

07

20

06

20

05

20

04

20

03

20

02

20

01

20

00

20

99

20

98

19

19

19

97

0.00%

EU average

Source: Single Market Scoreboard 2021, European Commission.

Evolution of infringement cases (not including those for late transposition) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Ire land

EU average

Source: Single Market Scoreboard 2021, European Commission.

rated by counterparts, and satisfaction with efforts made as rated by counterparts) showing improvement. Ireland’s speed in answering requests did decrease, from nine days to 12, but still remained under the EEA average of 15.

Trade in goods and services Ireland recorded a high level of trade integration in the single market for services, with intra-EU trade integration for services accounting for 25.3 per cent of GDP in 2019, an increase of 5.1 per cent.

Conversely, trade integration for goods decreased from 2018-2019, falling 8.3 per cent to account for 21.6 per cent of GDP. Intra-EU imports in services also increased, by 5.6 per cent, accounting for 22.3 per cent of GDP. Again, imports in goods fell, by 6.4 per cent, to account for 17.4 per cent of GDP.

Foreign direct investment 2019 saw Ireland disinvesting from other EU countries and other EU countries disinvesting from Ireland, in both cases at lower levels than 2018.

Intra-EU FDI flows showed year-on-year changes of 0.84 per cent inwards and 0.70 per cent outwards. The value of Ireland’s FDI stock in other countries rose by 0.15 per cent in the same period, with the value of EU countries’ FDI stock in Ireland falling by 0.13 per cent.

2019 also saw Ireland disinvesting from non-EU countries, while FDI into Ireland from non-EU countries also decreased. Extra-EU FDI flows decreased by 0.37 per cent inward and 1 per cent outward. The stock value for extra-EU FDI investments rose by 0.24 per cent inward and 0.13 per cent outward.

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Gaeilge gains full official and working status in EU The Irish language was placed on equal footing at European level with the EU’s 23 other official languages when it gained full official and working status on 1 January 2022.

Irish has been a treaty language since Ireland joined the European Economic Community in 1973, meaning that only EU treaties were translated into Irish. The language became an official and working language of the EU in 2007 at Ireland’s request, but under a derogation granted by the European Council, not all documents were translated into Irish. The Council was asked by Ireland in 2015 to gradually phase out this derogation by 1 January 2022, a target that has now been met.

Once this target had been agreed to, the EU undertook preparations to ensure that all EU institutions had sufficient capacity to meet demand for translation. A European Commission report issued in June 2021 found that capacity needs had been met and that despite the fact that “cuts have been made to the staffing levels of all language teams necessitating a review of resources and adjustments to the mix of in-house staff, outsourcing and language technology resources” since 2015, and that the rate of recruitment slowed in most institutions due to Covid-19, “the number of in-house Irish-language staff has risen from 58 in 2016 to 138 in April 2021”.

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However, the report does note that while in-house capacity has increased, a high share of the staff in question is temporary; 56 per cent across all EU institutions, 60 per cent in the Commission’s translation service and 100 per cent of those in the European Court of Justice. Two million pages are translated by the EU every year, at a cost of €349 million, 0.2 per cent of the EU budget.

The development has led to reports of jobs with Irish language requirements being advertised the length and breadth of Europe, with technical support companies in Greece, mortgage specialists in the Hague and of course officialdom in Brussels and Luxembourg seeking Gaeilgeoirí.

The honour of submitting the first amendment to EU legislation as Gaeilge fell to Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly, who submitted an amendment to the International Trade Committee’s opinion on a foreign affairs report on the defence of multilateralism, making him the first Irish MEP to propose an amendment in his native language.

“Ba mhór an onóir dom an chéad leasú as Gaeilge a mholadh i bParliamint na hEorpa. Is ócáid stairiúil é seo ó thaobh na Gaeilge de,” Kelly said upon submitting his amendment.

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Gas and nuclear projects could be labelled green from 2023 onward New rules proposed by the European Commission would classify investments in some gas and nuclear plants as sustainable from January 2023 onwards.

Opinion within the European Union is split, and some legislators have already announced their intention to stop the adoption of the rules.

Under the new rules for investors designed to raise private capital to meet EU climate targets, gas power plants would be labelled as green projects on the condition that they emit less than 270g of CO2 equivalent per kWh or emit less than 550kg CO2eq per kW annually over 20 years. This would mean that gas plants could run with relatively high emission levels in the present and immediate future as long as they switch to low carbon gas or reduce their emissions later in the 20-year period. Although there had been a requirement in a previous draft of the rules for gas plants to change to low-carbon gases by 2026, this was revised to 2035 in the final publication in February 2022.

Services and the Capital Markets Union and former Fine Gael MEP Mairéad McGuinness said. “We're putting in place strict conditions for their inclusion in the taxonomy.” EU member states and the European Parliament now have until June 2022 to debate the rules. If a super-majority of 20 out of 27 member sates was reached, the rules would be blocked from adoption.

New nuclear plants will have to receive construction permits before 2045 in order to receive a green investment label under the new rules. The plants will also have to be located in a country with plans and sufficient funds to safely dispose of the radioactive waste produced by the plants by 2050.

The German Alliance 90/The Greens MEP Michael Bloss was among those signalling his intention to fight the proposed rules, with an estimated 250 Parliament votes against already secured and an aim of getting to 353 before the vote takes place. The Austrian Government has repeatedly threatened to legally challenge a green label for nuclear power, while Denmark and Ireland have argued that labelling gas as green would undermine the EU’s fight against climate change. States such as Poland and Bulgaria have argued that gas investment should be encouraged in order to phase out the coal on which they are so dependant.

“We're setting out how gas and nuclear could make a contribution in the difficult transition to climate neutrality,” European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial

Should the rules be approved, they will be operational from January 2023, with investors having to disclose what share of their investments comply with the rules from then on.

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Mol an óige James O’Connor TD Ciarán Galway sits down with Fianna Fáil TD for Cork East, and youngest member of the Dáil, James O’Connor, to discuss party direction, current priorities, and ambitions for the future.

As might be expected, O’Connor’s fascination with Irish politics began at a young age. Evidencing this, he recounts his ability to name the entire cabinet at the age of 11 years old. However, growing up on a small farm, his family life was entirely apolitical. Now, aged just 24, the Cork native is the youngest TD in the 33rd Dáil.

Having previously undertaken a transition year internship with Micheál Martin TD, O’Connor then embarked upon a now deferred business, economics, and social studies course at Trinity College Dublin, where he was elected to Student’s Union in his first year. From there, he began an internship in the office of Jim O’Callaghan TD before,

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curiously, taking on a role with Mary Mitchell O’Connor, then a Fine Gael super junior minister.

In 2019, he seized an opportunity to represent the MidletonYoughal local electoral area as a member of Cork County Council, deferring the completion of his degree at Trinity.

Acknowledging that “I was lucky that there was an opportunity there”, he then actively lobbied to be added to the Fianna Fáil ticket for the general election, making phone calls to party leader Micheál Martin and general secretary Seán Dorgan.

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‘‘

“The amount of patronising bullies you meet, if you were to stand in my shoes — in all walks of life, both inside the political system and outside — is gobsmacking.”

In February 2020, at the age of 22, he claimed a seat in Dáil Éireann becoming the third youngest ever Fianna Fáil TD, behind Mary Coughlan and Lorcan Allen. In 2022, he is one of only two TDs under the age of 30.

Ideology Reflecting on his decision to join Fianna Fáil as a 16year-old and to stick with the party, he emphasises that family tradition had no bearing. Rather, it was informed by his interactions with people like O’Callaghan, who he regards as “an exceptionally honourable individual… who I look up to still”.

“I like Fianna Fáil historically because there is a degree of interventionism. I think that is very important because if you leave the Civil Service to its own agenda, free market economics and all that, I think it does genuinely cause issues in a country the size of Ireland,” he observes.

“Local government does not function properly in this country. A lot of semi-state agencies maybe do not function properly. I think interventionism on that point is very important for democratically elected politicians who the public sent here to do a job. That is something I often land myself in a degree of bother with, perhaps with cabinet colleagues of mine, but I feel very strongly about that.”

Fianna Fáil Given the noted rivalry between Micheál Martin and Jim O’Callaghan, alongside O’Connor’s tutelage under both colleagues, the coming year could test his loyalties. Diplomatically, he describes them as “remarkably dedicated individuals”.

Specifically referencing his party leader “in terms of the sacrifices he has made”, he insists: “It has to be admired and it is important the man is given the respect that he does deserve. Often, he does not get it within the political system or outside it.”

Simultaneously, he regards O’Callaghan as “a gifted individual when it comes to understanding the importance of legislation, the scrutiny of legislation”.

Discussing the ongoing battle for the soul of Fianna Fáil then, the first-time TD believes that this can be overstated. Reflecting on his party’s lineage as a “populist, popular party”, he asserts: “Yes, we made mistakes, but all in all, Ireland is one of the top five countries in the world to live in and that is in no short part due to the work of many of our predecessors.”

Challenges In the context of public frustration in relation to the housing crisis, healthcare, and the cost of living, O’Connor regards the rise of Sinn Féin, “in terms of being wiped out at the local elections and coming back and getting the largest proportion of votes in

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James O’Connor TD

the country” as “something that should alarm Fianna Fáil”.

“I think we are going through a destabilising cycle of politics at the moment, and we just need to weather the storm and focus on what matters, which is people’s livelihoods, their incomes, the security of having a home, of having a stable job – a circumstance where you can raise a family and still have enough money to live. The bread and butter of making sure you have a functional economy and a strong, robust, and fair republic.”

autonomous. “We are independent thinking individuals who manage our own set up. We have staff working underneath in terms of a management structure and we are fighting battles on every corner. It is difficult to tempt someone away from a career in the private sector or the Civil Service, leaving a stable job and coming under the scrutiny of the national media.”

Internal strife Indeed, the young Cork TD’s willingness to challenge senior colleagues is not in question.

Most famously, in October 2021, O’Connor dramatically threatened to resign from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party if the Castlemartyr and Killeagh bypass project was not included in the new iteration of the National Development Plan.

‘‘

Determining housing to be the single biggest challenge facing Fianna Fáil in government, O’Connor predicts that “housing is and will remain the single biggest domestic issue in this country over the course of the next five to six years”.

Outlining that the Government’s resources have been preoccupied with Covid up until this point, he suggests that attentions must now turn to housing.

Discussing the housing challenge that prevails in Cork East, he adds: “I would like to see the Government introduce constitutional change to deal with landbanks and vacant sites.”

Youth involvement

While having taken a more independent route, O’Connor recognises the role that youth organisations play in channelling young people into electoral politics. Two key experiences he identifies as being gained from party youth organisations are firstly, a sense of internal organisation and secondly, development of an ability to articulate and debate ideas. “For some it is a cornerstone of growth and development. Micheál Martin, for example, was very heavily involved in Ógra,” he says.

Aside from navigating local party structures, the single biggest challenge O’Connor faced in getting elected was “a lot of dismissive people”. “I have a job to do, and I take it really seriously,” he notes, adding: “We all have our setbacks, we all have our good days, but all-in-all, I think there are officials, political individuals that look upon you as a child and disregard that you have an electoral mandate to do the job that you are in.”

Remarking on the importance of facing down this attitude, he emphasises that unlike a career in financial services or law, the work of a TD is more

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“There is an expectation in rural constituencies that the TD needs to be physically seen to be determined to be working.”

Outlining his rationale, he explains: “I had been in a situation where I had spent two-anda-half years working to get a firm commitment from government about getting road projects advanced in my own area. Youghal needs better road connectivity to the Port of Cork, Cork Airport, and Cork city, which is the main hub of investment and employment, in order to lift the town’s economic circumstances and make it more attractive for people to invest in, eventually getting some IDA investment into the area, which we do not have at the moment.

“I was very bitterly disappointed about what had happened in the NDP. I have to say, it was probably one of the worst couple of weeks of my life. I was wrecked from the stress of it. At least I got my experience of what it is like to get my fingers burnt early, which does no harm in your growth and development in politics.

“I am happy I stood up for myself and it went down well where it needed to: in my constituency. There is no questioning the fact that I think it has done damage to my standing with government colleagues, but sure look, at the end of the day, they are not going for election in my constituency, I am.”

Arguing that his brinkmanship was as more than parochial, he emphasises that the bypass in question is on a national route. “It is the main road route between Rosslare and Cork. There are hundreds of millions of euro, if not billions, of goods travelling that route.

What we had was a situation whereby approximately 30,000 people were being directly impacted in a large area, day on day, trying to get school and work. This is not just a small area of the constituency, this is about a region; Waterford, Wexford, and Cork.

When it is done, it will pay back for itself multiple times because of the impact it will have on the efficiency of the economy.

“At the time, what bothered me greatly, and this is more important to me than the rest of it, I had sat down in rooms with people and got commitments which were not honoured.

That is what hit me more than the issue of whether it was considered to be parochial politics or not.”

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Learning curve Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, O’Connor found himself hindered in his move from Cork County Council to the Dáil. “It has been devastating because it limits the amount of exposure you can get with people. That is a very important part of being a first time TD. We have yet to see what the electoral outcome of that will be.

“While I have been working very hard in an office, a lot of people do not see that and that is something that is a concern. There is an expectation in rural constituencies that the TD needs to be physically seen to be seen to be determined to be working,” he concedes.

Young voices in the Dáil With one of the youngest populations of any developed country in the world, the Cork TD suggests that the dearth of representation among people under the age of 30 in the Dáil is “appalling”.

“Often, we hear about the gender divide and that is important, but the age divide is even more staggering.

Again, it comes back to nature of politics, a lot of people perceive politics as a situation that is so unstable as a career that you need to have your family setup and dynamic right to begin with. There are some practical reasons why it is so difficult for young people to get involved in politics. That is something that merits a bit of attention,” he says.

’’

There are some practical reasons why it is so difficult for young people to get involved in politics Significance Motivated by a desire to prove his competence, O’Connor places some significance on his status as the youngest TD. “The amount of patronising bullies you meet, if you were to stand in my shoes – in all walks of life, both inside the political system and outside – is gobsmacking.

“Out of sheer determination, I want to prove everybody wrong. I think I have done that so far and I will continue to do so. It comes back to that issue that we have not got enough young people in politics; many of them are leaving and we are getting the wrong demographic into politics at the wrong stages of their lives.

“For instance, when you are elected to the Dáil you are categorised as a politically exposed person by European legislation. Unfortunately, what that means is that if you are someone like me, you cannot get a mortgage so cannot buy your own home.”

Personal ambitions Outlining his belief that the current Government must stay the course and complete its five-year term, O’Connor projects that the next 12 months “are shaping up to be a cracker politically… I am buckling up for a bumpy ride”.

In this context, his personal ambition for the future is simply to achieve re-election at the next general election. “I am not looking at ministerial positions. I think it clouds people’s judgement when they start doing that and they get overly ambitious too quick. The story of Icarus is a very good one and one I think of often.

“I have a lot to learn. I have been in politics for six years between the internal [element], council, and now the Dáil. I still have maybe 50 per cent more to learn in terms of how things work around here; how the interpersonal relationships work.

“If it goes to a general election for whatever reason, we are not going to have anything done on time… the public will not be very forgiving,” he adds, concluding: “I am interested ensuring that before I go back to the doors ahead of the next general election, that I can look people honestly in the face and say that I have done some good. I have at the moment, but I have more to do.”

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Elaine Cameron and Ciarán Doyle, Principal Officers the Houses of the Oireachtas’ ICT unit talk to Ciarán Galway about the Oireachtas Digital Transformation Programme and the creation of a digital parliament.

In 2019, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission published its three-year strategic plan including an outline of four key objectives that would assist in its mission to deliver a high-performing parliamentary service that enables the Houses of the Oireachtas to discharge its constitutional functions, supports members as parliamentarians and representatives of the people, and promotes an open and accessible Parliament.

Included among those objectives was the delivery of a digital parliament, with ambitions to transform the technology used by the houses and committees, enable easier public access to the work of the Oireachtas and its members, and the modernisation of technical infrastructure.

Elaine Cameron, head of operations, live and development, and Ciarán Doyle, head of innovation and infrastructure, are currently leading that digital transformation programme. Having both served within the ICT unit for over 18 and 14 years respectively, they are best placed to 126

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describe the transformation journey which has occurred and future ambitions.

In 2016, a review of the Oireachtas’ Enterprise Architecture and subsequent analysis of processes technologies and comparative legislatures formed the basis for a digital Oireachtas strategy. The identification of seven key programmes to facilitate an open, accessible, and efficient Oireachtas, ranging from ‘digital parliament’, through to ‘informing the citizen’ and ‘technology in the chamber’ have formed the basis of digital transformation work in recent years.

Outlining the premise of what a digital parliament looks like and therefore, what the Houses of the Oireachtas is striving for, Doyle is quick to point out that comparisons are limited. Estonia, which is held up as an exemplar of eGovernment only gained independence in 1991 and so was effectively a greenfield site for digital government deployment, compared to the 100 years of processes, procedures and culture embedded into Ireland’s parliamentary governance.

However, outside of Estonia, many existing parliaments share the common challenge that their traditional methods of operation fail to fit with the modern-day eco-system of information exchange.

“Being a digital parliament means we have to bring the work processes and the systems for those processes in to the modern era so that they can effectively communicate with the outside world,” Doyle observes.

The Principal Officer acknowledges the frequent engagement between the Oireachtas and other parliaments, in pursuit of new solutions and, ultimately, to become best in class for a digital parliament.

As Cameron explains, initial work on the digital modernisation programme, including the deployment of new technologies, provided a foundation for digital transformation and better equipped end users for progress on the digital parliament programme. Initially, this has focused on the procedural side of the house rather than in the chamber,

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meaning the deployment of bespoke applications to improve efficiencies.

In the past four years, the ICT Unit has built a digital parliament platform, delivering 14 bespoke solutions across the various business units within the Oireachtas, feeding into a new digital order paper and a Dáil Business website.

“Rather than publish information through a content management system, we carried out a root and branch rebuild of all information management systems, which allowed for automated interconnection and a purely digital workflow,” Doyle outlines.

“In the next three years, we are going to double that footprint and begin work in parliamentary business unit offices which we have yet to reach.”

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has served to accelerate progress on digital transformation. For instance, as Cameron details, the speed of change in relation to digital modernisation has been so rapid that following completion of a three-year strategy at the end of 2021, the new and refreshed three-year strategy effectively omits digital modernisation.

“We had already embarked on delivering technologies but with Covid, we essentially condensed a 13-month plan into three months and deployed it over six days. The pandemic was a massive catalyst, but we were fortunate that our digital modernisation programme underway because we had the foundations in place.”

Elaborating on this, Doyle agrees that the pandemic served as an accelerant, but believes that a cultural shift from one of resistance was enabled by three years of preparatory engagement. “Pre-pandemic we did a lot of engagement work with the various business units, and we knew what was possible but that did not mean that the organisation was ready to jump and do it. However, we are now in an optimum position where the business is telling us how it should change, meaning the momentum is no longer coming from us alone.

“We are now able to approach digital transformation in a collaborative way because the dial has moved, and colleagues can now see the opportunities.

The culture and the conception of digitalisation has changed and with the

“The pandemic was a massive catalyst, but we were fortunate that our digital modernisation programme underway because we had the foundations in place.”

Elaine Cameron, Principal Officer with responsibility for operations, live and development, ICT Unit, Houses of the Oireachtas Service Having started her public sector career in the Department of Justice, Elaine joined the Houses of Oireachtas’ ICT Unit in 2004.

groundwork now in place, delivery over the next three years should be enhanced.”

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them all. So, getting to the chamber in the next three years and servicing that programme out is an exciting place to be,” explains Doyle.

Alongside ambitions to further digitalise processes within the Oireachtas’ business units, the Principal Officers explain that the current strategy will now focus on introducing digitalisation into the chamber.

Enabled by the digitalisation of the backoffice processes, delivery of solutions will enable real-time information to be dispensed to multiple endpoints.

“Additionally, we will be looking to adopt AI

“There are multiple ways to engage with content and we need to effectively service

system, a workload of equal scale to that

into our work processes. This will help efficiency in our work processes but also enhance the user experience as well.”

Concluding, Cameron outlines that an additional programme that will appear on the ICT unit’s radar in the coming years is the an integrated corporate support of the digital parliament.

“We are now able to approach digital transformation in a collaborative way because the dial has moved, and colleagues can now see the opportunities.”

Ciarán Doyle, Principal Officer with responsibility for innovation and infrastructure, ICT Unit, Houses of the Oireachtas Service Ciarán Doyle joined the civil service in 2004, originally spending four years on the parliamentary side of the house before taking up post in the ICT unit.

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Spring Legislative Programme Published by Government Chief Whip Jack Chambers TD in late-January 2022, the Spring Legislative Programme contains 44 bills for prioritisation by government ministers.

The Legislation Programme contains the following:

protecting workers, growing businesses and ensuring our economy and society can thrive once more.”

•

priority legislation for the spring session (44);

•

all other legislation (91);

•

bills currently on the Dáil and Seanad order papers (18);

•

bills published since the current Government entered office (83); and

•

bills enacted since the Government entered office (80).

Priority pieces of legislation for the forthcoming term as highlighted by Chambers are:

Upon publication of the programme, Chambers said: “The bills prioritised will enable our country to continue to overcome the immediate challenges we face including the Covid-19 pandemic but since taking office the Government has also sought to prioritise legislation, policies and initiatives to deliver on our medium and long term policy objectives contained in the Programme for Government so we can embrace opportunities like enhancing our climate ambition, delivering on housing,

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Work-life Balance Bill and the Right to Request Remote Work Bill;

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Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Account Holders) Emergency Measures Bill;

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Consumer Rights Bill;

•

Gambling Regulation Bill;

•

Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill and the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill;

•

Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill; and

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Defective Concrete Blocks Remediation Bill.

Agriculture, food and the marine Agriculture and Food Supply Chain (Market Transparency) Bill

Preparatory work is underway

Animal Remedies (Amendment) Bill

Work underway

Children, equality, disability, integration and youth Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill

Heads of bill approved on 16 November 2021; pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) underway

Certain Institutional Burials (Authorised Interventions) Bill

Heads approved on 10 December 2019 and 12 January 2021; PLS has taken place

Child Care (Amendment – Guardian Ad Litem) Bill

Heads approved on 4 October 2021; PLS has taken place

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill

Work underway

Work-life Balance Bill

Work underway

Enterprise, trade and employment

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Competition (Amendment) Bill

Heads approved on 22 December 2020; PLS has taken place; currently in Dáil Third Stage (Committee Stage)

Consumer Rights Bill

Heads approved on 20 April 2021; PLS has taken place

Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill

Heads approved 25 July 2019; PLS has taken place

Investment Screening Bill

Heads approved 27 July 2020; PLS waived

Right to Request Remote Work Bill

Heads approved 25 January 2022; PLS to be determined

Sick Leave Bill

Heads approved on 4 November 2021; PLS has taken place

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Environment, climate, and communications Circular Economy Bill

Heads approved 15 June 2021; PLS has taken place

Communications Regulation (Enforcement) Bill

Heads approved on 14 December 2021; PLS to be determined

Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Account Holders) Emergency Measures Bill

Heads approved on 14 December 2021; PLS completed; currently in Seanad Third Stage

Finance Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment) Bill

Heads approved on 8 September 2021; PLS waived

Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Bill

Heads approved on 27 July 2021; PLS ongoing

Consumer Credit (Amendment) Bill

Heads approved on 6 July 2021; PLS completed

Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Work underway

Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Heads approved on 19 October 2021; PLS completed

Health Assisted Human Reproduction Bill

Heads approved on 3 October 2017; PLS has taken place

Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Bill

Heads approved on 1 May 2019; PLS waived

Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill

Heads approved on 22 October 2019; PLS has taken place

Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill

Currently in Seanad Fourth Stage

Housing, local government and heritage Defective Concrete Blocks Remediation Bill

Work underway

Electoral (Reform) Bill

Heads approved 15 December 2020; PLS has taken place

Local Government (Directly Elected Mayor with Executive Functions in Limerick City and County) Bill

Heads approved 20 April 2021; PLS has taken place

Planning and Development (Substitute Consent) Bill

Heads approved on 9 June 2021; PLS has taken place

Water Environment (Abstractions and Certain Impoundments) Bill

Heads approved on 29 September 2020; PLS has taken place

Tailte Éireann Bill

Heads approved on 22 December 2020; PLS has taken place

Justice Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Heads approved on 9 January 2020 and 1 June 2021; PLS has taken place

Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill

Heads approved on 15 September 2020; PLS has taken place

European Arrest Warrant (Amendment) Bill

Heads approved on 20 July 2021; PLS has taken place

European Convention on Human Rights (Delays in Court Proceedings) Bill

Heads approved on 20 July 2021; PLS waived

Family Court Bill

Heads approved on 29 September 2020; PLS waived

Gambling Regulation Bill

Heads approved on 19 October 2021; PLS ongoing

Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill

Heads approved on 27 April 2021; PLS has taken place

Judicial Appointments Commission Bill

Heads approved on 15 December 2020; PLS has taken place

Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill

Heads approved on 27 April 2021; PLS ongoing

Public expenditure and reform Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill

Heads approved on 11 May 2021; PLS has taken place; currently in Dáil Committee Stage

Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill

Heads approved on 16 February 2022; PLS ongoing

River Shannon Management Body Bill

Heads in preparation

Tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media National Concert Hall Bill

Heads in preparation

*Progress correct as of 24 February 2022

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TRADE UNION DESK Let’s stop needless bureaucracy for bereaved families

When a loved one dies and after they are laid to rest, attention must turn to getting their affairs in order. This is no small task for grieving families writes Laura Bambrick, Social Policy Officer at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

For some families, this will include starting the probate process, notifying insurance companies and financial institutions, cancelling utilities and subscriptions, closing social media, and email accounts. For all, it will require contacting multiple government departments and official agencies to cancel benefits, entitlements, and public services.

During this extraordinarily difficult time, a bereaved relative is required to telephone, write, or attend each relevant section within each public body to notify them of the death, often repeating the same information: name, PPSN, the date of death.

For example, if the deceased was an older person, within the Department of Social Protection the next-of-kin must go in person to a civil registration office to register the death, contact the pensions section, the free travel section and, maybe also, the carers sections. Within the HSE, the medical card section, each hospital department (to cancel appointments and close files) and, maybe also, the home help section, the respite services section, and the day care services section all must be notified that the service user has died. Revenue will have to be contacted to settle tax issues, the NDLS to

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cancel a driving licence and the deceased’s passport returned to the passport office for cancellation. To name but a few.

While the sensitivity and professionalism of public servants in their dealings with people after a bereavement is not in question, navigating this bureaucratic maze is complex, time-consuming and risks causing upset. We have all heard of people being blindsided by grief when a jury summons or polling card for a long-dead loved one comes through the letterbox, because the local authority had not been requested to remove the deceased’s name from the electoral register.

It is not unreasonable to assume that the paperwork burden imposed on those we leave behind is the unavoidable price for a big state that provides us with an extensive range of public services and income supports when alive.

However, our process for notifying officialdom of a death is in stark contrast with the UK, where a free ‘tell us once’ public service allows a close relative to notify multiple central and local government agencies of the death at the same time. Everything, from a

“

Our process for notifying officialdom of a death is in stark contrast with the UK, where a free ‘tell us once’ public service allows a close relative to notify multiple central and local government agencies of the death at the same time. pension to a library card, is cancelled with a single phone call or online form.

During the life of the previous government, a 2017 review of state services around dying, death, and bereavement recommended that the Department of Social Protection introduce a joined-up notification service similar to the ‘tell us once’ service in place in the UK. While the then minister expressed a willingness to explore the option on the floor of the Seanad no concrete action was taken until earlier 2021, four years later.

Already, within the Department of Social Protection, processes are in place that when a next-of-kin registers a death with the General Register Office this information is shared across all sections that same day to terminate welfare payments, and with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for information sharing with the public sector pension services, local authorities and relevant public bodies. But this is a fraud prevention measure and is not publicised as a one-stop-shop option available to bereaved families.

Earlier this year a public consultation on proposals to address deficiencies in the current death registration process was launched by the Department of Social Protection. The manner and time required to register deaths had been found to hamper the ability of the State to provide timely death data from public administrative sources to support the pandemic health measures, unlike in other high-income peer countries.

In our submission to the consultation, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions recommended government close the gap in public service delivery for people who have suffered a bereavement by providing a joined-up notification service. In the words of our general secretary, Patricia King: “This simple fix would mean so much to the families of the 32,000 people who die in Ireland each year.”

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Meet the

Eva Short Eva Short is a reporter with the Sunday Business Post. Previously, the TCD graduate worked as a journalist with Silicon Republic and The Phoenix Magazine, before freelancing as a content writer and editor with Reach plc.

How did you get into journalism?

I always liked storytelling; my mother tells me that I used to mock up front pages of stories about my stuffed animals when I was young! I studied English in college and during that time joined one of the student newspapers, Trinity News. I also did a bit of freelancing for RTÉ radio, wrote album and gig reviews for GoldenPlec, and reviewed films for Totally Dublin. I got the RTÉ gig when a researcher found my student journalism work online; the other gigs I just applied to myself using my student journalism as samples. Free gig tickets and movie

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screenings, what more could a broke student want? After college, I got internships with Newstalk and the Irish Times; not placements, I just stuck my neck out and asked two people I knew who worked in those places, and they agreed. Then, I got my first job in Silicon Republic, and the rest is (relatively recent) history!

How do you think the profession is evolving?

Our industry unfortunately still has no idea how to contend with the rise of the internet, and how that has impacted all facets of our profession; how we deliver news, what we report on, who reads it

and its perceived value. So obviously it’s all only going to get more digital; I can’t possibly summarise the various impacts that will have, but those impacts will be considerable. Subscription models have been floated as the way to counteract the bottom falling out of advertising revenue, but I think time is running out on that too; people have so many subscriptions and are already pulling away from that model due to the expense of paying a certain amount for access to a number of individual publications. I think services like Apple News will become more common, more one-stop shops, but I’m hopeful these services won’t solely be provided by ‘big tech’.

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“Our industry unfortunately still has no idea how to contend with the rise of the Internet, and how that has impacted all facets of our profession...”

I’m hopeful that the use of micropayments, either to pay-per-article or pay for day passes, will become more popular. When Tim Berner-Lees founded the internet, he built it with the assumption that easy, quick payments for digital services would be a given, but the world has been slow on that, and I think the media should try to embrace it a bit more.

What are the challenges of working in print media?

I work across both print and digital, and I think the tension that exists between those two mediums can be really difficult and complex. Print has firm deadlines, while online does not. Print also has firm weekly requirements; online not so much, as the digital side is very much a beast with an insatiable appetite.

However, with print, it can be easy for stories to be whipped out from underneath you, particularly when you work for a weekly such as the Sunday Business Post. Sometimes a story can move so quickly that by the time your print edition comes out, there has already been an update. That’s challenging to say the least! However, I think it has given rise to a new way of viewing weeklies and has encouraged more long-form, in-depth work, which I think is a good thing. Nothing a writer likes more than a large, meaty assignment after all.

Who do you admire most within the industry and why?

Maybe it’s a bit maudlin, but I really admire my more senior colleagues at the Business Post. It’s a great environment to start your career; there are lots of very

talented and insightful writers and editors, all of whom are really generous with their time. In particular, I’ve met so many inspiring women journalists through the paper who have always been willing to support me as I develop at this pretty early stage in my career. I’m a great admirer of Sally Hayden and the foreign correspondent work she does for the Irish Times. Also, of course, I love settling in to listen to Sarah McInerney’s interviews; she’s undefeated in her ability to cross-examine her subject.

organisations, who wrote to Owen

I read an amazing book recently by a New York Times journalist named Robert Kolker about the history of schizophrenia research, told through the lens of a family called the Galvins that had sixout-of-12 children develop schizophrenia. The book perfectly married clear descriptions of lofty scientific topics with really affecting storytelling about the human impact of this mental disorder. It was one of those books that I read and immediately wished I’d written. In terms of other journalists I have idolised, I have to mention the likes of: Joan Didion; Gay Talese; Phillip Roth; Norman Mailer; Susan Sontag (more essayist than journalist), and David Foster Wallace.

for their voices to be heard.

What has been your most significant story or project to date?

I don’t know about it being significant, but I did some reporting a while back on student accommodation providers getting permission from Dublin City Council to open their doors to short-term lets and tourists. It became something of a hot-button issue for student

Keegan about the practice and later staged a protest outside the council building. Some of them even cited my work as a direct inspiration! I think that’s what any journalist aspires to; their work playing a role in stoking action and civic participation. I don’t think that I, individually, necessarily played a huge role; but it felt like a huge personal achievement to see my name mentioned within the context of students pushing

I’ve also been really enjoying the work I’ve done surrounding cannabis and hemp, be that through investigating funding policies towards hemp farmers, speaking to researchers about the potential applications of the cannabis plant, and talking to pharmaceuticals about cannabis-derived medicines, and tracking the progress of how drug policy more broadly is evolving in Ireland. I think these are topics that are only going to become more relevant with time.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

With friends and loved ones as much as possible. Going for runs, hiking when I can get to the mountains, gym a few times a week. I love going to the movies too; I can watch them at home, but the cinema experience is a cut above. I also love to cook and bake; I would spend all my time in the kitchen making flatbreads and preserves if I could.

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How did your political career begin?

Literally, it started on the Late Late Show. As an audience member, I intervened in a discussion about western development. The following week, at a local meeting to select two delegates to go as representatives to the Leitrim Core Group of Developing the West, it was generally agreed, ‘that one can talk’.

They sent me on that mission and that was the first step, even though politics was a million miles from my mind at that time. There is a longer story, but not for here.

What are your most notable achievements in the Oireachtas to date?

Political Platform Marian Harkin TD Having previously represented the Sligo-Leitrim constituency in the 29th Dáil between 2002 and 2007, Marian Harkin was again elected as an independent TD in 2020. Previously, she was elected as an MEP for the North-West constituency in 2004 and again in 2009. During the 2014 European Parliament election, Harkin was elected to represent the Midlands-North-West constituency before stepping aside ahead of the 2019 election.

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Firstly, the introduction of the Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2021 to allow credit unions to better serve the needs of their communities and for proportionate regulation for credit unions vis-a-vis other financial institutions. The Bill has now passed second stage.

Secondly, I was one of the signatories of the Simon Community Bill which has also passed second stage. This Bill gives an extra period of time to individuals/families who must leave their current accommodation, so that local authorities and NGOs like Simon can become involved and assist them in finding alternative accommodation.

Thirdly, at the very beginning of the pandemic I strongly lobbied both the then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD and the then Minister Regina Doherty TD to extend the emergency rent supplement to victims of domestic violence and thankfully this was approved. In this context, I want to thank Safe Ireland for all their assistance and support in helping me make the case. I am happy to say I was pushing an open door, but it is the role of the Opposition to push those doors open.

Most recently, in January 2022, we got news that the Cabinet has changed its mind and decided on four Search and Rescue (SAR) bases for the entire country and that Sligo Airport will be one of the bases. Last week, the Government were only committing to a minimum of three bases, and I raised the issue with the Tánaiste on the floor of the House

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seeking guarantees on the retention of the SAR base in Sligo, so it definitely helped!

What is unique about representing the Sligo-Leitrim constituency?

After representing 11 counties for 10 years and then 15 counties for a further five years in the European Parliament, you get an overall perspective of different counties and regions and what makes them unique. In fact, the constituency I represent is Sligo, Leitrim, north Roscommon, and south Donegal.

There are similarities and differences between all four counties.

South Donegal does not want to be part of the constituency, separated from the

a speedy rollout of broadband, and with the recent designation of the Atlantic Technological University, this constituency can finally reach its potential.

What are your priorities going forward?

My top priority remains working to ensure a fair share of investment for the north-west and indeed all of the regions.

Balanced regional development is just that, a balance of development so that all those who live in the regions have opportunities to work there and have access to decent services.

Unless regional development is policy driven, it will ultimately fail because it ends up as a bit here and a bit there,

nonetheless, I think that there are lessons we can learn. One of the major drawbacks for independent TDs who are members of technical groups, as distinct from political parties, is that political parties receive much greater resources per TD for research, for administration, for back up and this really puts independent TDs at a disadvantage.

Our primary role is to represent our constituents and a significant part of that is the influencing and shaping of legislation and holding government to account. That requires access to information, detailed research, good administration, and assistance in policy formulation. All of that requires significant resources and the technical groups and their members are at a significant disadvantage. When I was a

“My top priority remains working to ensure a fair share of investment for the north-west.” rest of Donegal, and one can see why.

North Roscommon is in a similar situation.

Leitrim, as the smallest county was split into two different constituencies at one time and had no elected representative as a result. So, a sustained campaign ensured reunification of the county.

Sligo has had many well-known representatives in Dáil Éireann, Ray McSharry, Ted Nealon, and of course, the first female government minister in Ireland and Europe, as well as the first woman elected to the British House of Commons, Constance Markievicz.

Markievicz represented Dublin, not Sligo, but was of course a Sligo woman.

The constituency has not received its fair share of investment and funding over many decades and the evidence for this is irrefutable. However, with focused emphasis on balanced regional development, with our stunning landscapes, our better quality of life, with greater opportunities to work from home, with an increasing emphasis on sustainable agricultural production, with

with every politician trying to shout louder than their neighbour. Divide and conquer works, because then everyone is focused on grasping whatever few crumbs come from the table, instead of sitting down like adults and sharing out the cake.

member of the European Parliament, the resources I received to carry out my work as an MEP were exactly the same as the leader of our Group, Guy Verhofstadt, or the then President of the Parliament. They received extra resources to assist them in their specific

After that, my other top priorities are advocating for carers, people with disabilities and credit unions, ensuring sustainable agricultural production and focused rural policy, tackling inequality, helping to ensure adequate funding for the education sector, including lifelong learning, as well as support for the voluntary and community sector.

How can the technical groups maximise their impact in the lifetime of the 33rd Dáil?

As an independent member of the European Parliament who was part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, I can compare and contrast, as it were. While I fully understand that there are fundamental differences between how we operate in the Dáil and the European Parliament,

roles, but as MEPs, we were all equally resourced.

However, in my constituency of four TDs, I receive 55 per cent of what my colleagues and their parties do. It is important to note, this does not refer to salaries, but to resources to support my work. Finally, I do not believe we need to increase the overall level of resources, but we need an equitable share out.

What are your interests outside of the political sphere?

Reading both fiction and non-fiction and my fervent hope for 2022 is that I can add walking to that. Not hiking. Not mountain climbing. Just plain old walking!

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Violence against women: Conversations must continue The senseless killing of Ashling Murphy led to a collective outpouring of grief and anger across the island of Ireland and beyond, writes Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI).

The National Women’s Council expresses its full sympathies and solidarity with Ashling’s family and all who knew and loved her, and our thoughts are with them as they face the most difficult weeks and months ahead.

It is critical that the current conversations we are having around men’s violence against women continue, and that they become a watershed moment to end gender-based violence. As vigils took place in almost every town and village across Ireland to mourn Ashling and to remember the 244 women who have died violently in Ireland since Women’s Aid records began in 1996, women across Ireland have been sharing their stories of abuse and harassment, and how they curtail their lives so that they feel safer. Ultimately, we know there is no behaviour change women can make that will keep them safe from men’s violence. So, we need to talk about what we can do.

At the highest level, we have already witnessed an important change, with An Taoiseach announcing this week that we will have one government department with responsibility for ending gender-based violence. NWC warmly welcomes the decision to have one lead department for tackling gender-based violence and we look forward to working with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD to end men’s violence against women. Our current fragmented system and disjointed supports create a real barrier for women experiencing violence and abuse to report and seek help. This integrated approach to tackle men’s violence against women will see one government department having overall responsibility and will provide greater accountability for tackling gender-based violence and delivering the supports women desperately need.

The Government is preparing its new National Strategy for Domestic Sexual and Gender-based Violence to be launched in 2022. This is the moment for ambition and leadership to tackle

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gender-based violence seriously. It is absolutely crucial that we provide greater resources for women who experience genderbased violence and for our frontline services. Alongside this, we need to make it easier for women to report domestic and sexual violence. In practice, that means a system of wrap-around supports from the moment women come forward to seek support and disclose abuse. We know from the numbers of women who contact the frontline services that both domestic and sexual violence is happening to a much greater degree than what is in any official records. If we are serious about tackling violence against women, then we need reliable and accurate data on gender-based violence to fully understand its nature, prevalence, and extent.

Ultimately, it is important that we focus our conversations on prevention, on creating a zero-tolerance culture towards misogyny and sexism that permeates our society and creates the context in which gender-based violence occurs. This means, for example, changing our curriculum to include compulsory programmes at primary and secondary level that all schools must teach, it means bringing these programmes into our sporting institutions and youth services and transforming our third-level institutions to adopt a zero-tolerance approach. It means policy change in our education system to ensure the casual sexism that girls and women experience is unacceptable. It means stronger legislation towards street harassment, and stronger enforcement toward harassment in the workplace.

Right now, from government, we need ambition, and we need leadership, and long-term thinking. We need to ensure women are safe in our homes and in our communities and that we no longer have to limit our lives for fear of male violence. Now is the moment we must create a society where violence against women is unacceptable and abhorrent to all of us.

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