Sinn Féin has criticised the government for removing all centralised checks of large capital projects.
The party's spokesperson for Public Expenditure, Teachta Conway-Walsh, made the comments as the new infrastructure guidelines were published.
Teachta Conway-Walsh said the new guidelines are "the final nail in the coffin of the short-lived reforms to how we oversee large capital projects" as they "push all responsibility back onto the individual departments".
In a statement Teachta Conway-Walsh said:
"The debacle of the National Children’s Hospital has led to some positive reforms. The Department of Public Expenditure was given a role in overseeing large capital projects to make sure the disastrous mistakes of the past were not repeated.
"These reforms came too late to stop many of the runaway costs of the Children’s Hospital, but the public were led to believe that at least lessons had been learned.
"The Department of Public Expenditure was required to undertake technical reviews of any major capital project at three stages.
"Now these reviews have been replaced by a watered-down process led by private consultants. This will mean that the department will no longer be providing any technical reviews of major capital projects.
"The Department of Public Expenditure will no longer have any oversight role even on the largest capital projects.
"Essentially reforms that were brought in because of the disaster that is the National Children’s Hospital have already been dismantled before the construction of the hospital has even been completed.
"We need to change course and reinstate the oversight role for the Department of Public Expenditure. The National Investment Office in the departments needs to be transformed into a real hub of expertise when it comes to large scale capital projects. This is the only way to ensure capital projects are delivered on time and on budget."
Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Construction News
08/01/2024
Sinn Féin Criticises Govt For New Large Capital Project Guidelines
Latest Construction News
20/11/2024
MDE has been awarded the electrical services contract for the Clondalkin School Development Project in Dublin. Working alongside Cunningham Contracts Ltd., the company will serve as the specialist electrical contractor for the construction of new facilities for Gaelscoil na Camóige, Gaelscoil ...
20/11/2024
In celebration of European Week for Waste Reduction, the Northern Ireland Resources Network (NIRN) has launched an environmental education programme to promote zero-waste principles among young people. Three schools from the ABC Borough—St Francis Primary School in Lurgan, St Patrick's Primary ...
20/11/2024
Work has begun at hospital sites across Northern Ireland as part of preparations to eliminate car parking charges by May 2026. Health and Social Care Trusts are installing the necessary infrastructure for a new traffic management system, following the passing of the Hospital Parking Charges Act by ...
20/11/2024
Fine Gael has accused Sinn Féin of abandoning its commitment to protect consumers from rising energy costs, claiming that the party's policies could lead to increased costs for 2.1 million customers. The criticism comes after Sinn Féin's alternative budget last month proposed retaining the ...
20/11/2024
SDLP Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has urged Minister Andrew Muir to take decisive action to protect the environment, rather than launching additional reviews. The comments came after Minister Muir announced a review into environmental governance during an ...
20/11/2024
Alliance Strangford MLAs Kellie Armstrong and Nick Mathison, along with Alliance East Antrim MLA Danny Donnelly, recently visited the tidal research experiment at Queen's University Marine Laboratory (QML) in Strangford. The project, funded by the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), is ...
19/11/2024
Phoenix Energy has been awarded an international standards accreditation from the British Standards Institution (BSI) in recognition of its inclusive service approach for customers in vulnerable situations. The certification highlights Phoenix Energy's commitment to providing fair, flexible, and ...
19/11/2024
Seating Matters is investing £3.7 million to enhance and improve its manufacturing facilities in Limavady and L'Derry. The company is aiming to support its bold strategy to triple revenue by 2027. Making the announcement while visiting the company's Limavady site Economy Minister Conor Murphy ...
19/11/2024
SDLP Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has urged the Minister and the Executive to take immediate action to address problems within Northern Ireland Water. Mr Durkan warned that the current state of the wastewater system is creating significant delays for infrastructure projects across ...
19/11/2024
Galway City Council will hold a public information evening on affordable housing on Monday, November 25, 2024, from 4pm to 8pm at the Connacht Hotel, Old Dublin Road, Galway. The event will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about how affordable housing operates. Council staff will be ...