Victor Boyhan: Calls for Early, Honest Public Engagement on Infrastructure

Thank you, Comhairleach. Well, firstly, I want to welcome the Minister to the Seanaith and to thank him for his engagement and his opening statement in relation to this critical infrastructure bill. I think we've got to shy away from thinking parochial here, and we've got to think of the bigger picture. It's about economic, it's about sustainability, it's about our future, it's about putting critical infrastructure in place for our housing, for jobs, for employment, for the development of agriculture, innovation, pharma, all the exciting things that await us for highly educated people in our country, ambitious to stay here, to work here, and to contribute to our economy. I just want to reference two or three points in your presentation, your opening statement, Minister, and as you say, there are ten sections to this bill. It's relatively easy to read, and I note there in section two notes that nothing in this bill will affect existing or future obligations of the state under European law or existing or future entitlements of the state or any person under European law, and this includes to demonstrate that the bill will not interfere in any way with the EU commitments, whether these are on our climate change targets or environmental protection more broadly. I welcome that. And that's the sort of clarity we need when we're talking about infrastructure. That's the sort of clarity we need when we want to allay the fears of potential objectors who have genuine concerns about infrastructural bills, efforts and projects in the past. And then I refer to section three. Again, in your note, you say the bill deals with how projects or programmes will be designated as critically infrastructure. In summary, the Minister for Public Expenditure will make recommendations to government, and I think that's also important, because people need to know what are the projects. You do not want politicians standing up every day in Dáil Éireann telling you what they want. We're legislatures, by the way. A lot of people don't quite get the story here. We have the weakest local government in Ireland, partly because we don't have movement by the national legislatures and government to empower local government to make decisions, to empower local government to communicate about local issues. So I really welcome your bill, because it's an important body of work that the foundation, if laid correctly and communicated correctly, will aid and abet and assist the progression of our economy, and help us all to realise the potential that we are ambitious for for our country. So I think that's really important, and I want to make those two points to you, Minister. I suppose when I think of it, I'm someone that has come from over 20 years in local government. I know the importance of public engagement. I know the importance of supporting local concerns. But I also take my responsibilities. We are leaders, leaders in Irish society, leaders in terms of policy, and we must be responsible in how we lead. But I think the core principles of fair engagement and public consultation are worth pointing out, because I think that's where a lot of the problems have happened in the past, and I hope we can learn from them. So fair engagement for planning and critical infrastructure is important, and I hope we will see sustainable energy and wind and wave, water, gas, electricity, housing, water waste, waste treatment is very important, and waste and water networks in terms of critical infrastructure, roads, transport and rail. We've made huge potential for the rail, and I think of the Western Rail Corridor, how we embrace telecoms and the ambition around telecoms and rolling it out. Major healthcare, and today is not the day to talk about mistakes in major projects, infrastructural projects, capital projects for healthcare, but we've a lot to learn from mistakes in the past there. Agriculture, we have major challenges around major pieces of infrastructure around agriculture, and particularly related to the food enterprise, and I think of Guinness's initiative down in Kildare and the challenges around that. Okay, compromises were reached, but potentially we could have seen years in delay there, but again it was resolved, and why was it resolved? Because it was communication, and I think that's really, really important. So best practice emphasises early honest dialogue. We need honest dialogue with communities and citizens that feel threatened in any way about major projects. We need clear mitigation in planning. We need structured, open transparency rather than treating community consultation as a mere regulatory hurdle to be overcome at any cost, and again we've got to learn from... I think that's what we've got to learn from. We need to engage early, not after design. We need to consult communities during policy and design phases well before a formal planning application is made to ensure that local knowledge and inputs, and I think of our local councillors and local government in this area particularly, but also community activists and NGOs and others that have a view and a knowledge on the ground of what potentially could be a threat to their community or their environment, and also would reduce negative impacts. I think it's important that we make information accessible. You talk a lot about transparency and I commend you for your work in that area. Planners and engineers should be asked, and it should be provided in this legislation, that it is obligatory that they translate complex engineering and environmental data into clear, non-technical language to bring clarity to the proposed projects that will be coming through this system. I think it's important that we have outreach, that we inform our communities, that we give everybody in our community a strong, independent and equal opportunity to shape critical infrastructure projects and processes. So we need to inform, we need to consult, we need to involve, we need to collaborate, and at the heart of any meaningful public engagement, there has to be genuine respect for all stakeholders. We must empower all of them and we must foster community trust, because trust has simply broken down in many cases. It was those that shouted the loudest, it was those that had more money, it was those that had more access to big government, got their way too many times, and we see all around this country bad planning decisions, bad decisions generally that were made and weren't sustained because the right processes and the right screenings weren't in place. But that's behind us, we're going forward. What I like about your legislation, it is positive, it is setting out a framework. So Minister, I think what's more important than anything, and I didn't hear you say too much about here today, that's not to say you're not giving it that attention because I know you are, but governance and oversight of public money is critical in any project. The modernisation of public financial reporting and accounting is central to reforms underway by your department of public expenditure, national development, planning delivery and reform. Recent public statements by you have left me in no doubt as to your political determination to seek value for money for national infrastructural projects. Addressing capital costs, overruns and public accountability I know are critical to public confidence and we must get that message over as part of the sell for this important legislation. Finally Minister, I very much welcome your assiduous attention on financial oversight and control and governance in this space and I wish you well.