Major opportunities for public-private partnerships, especially in key sectors such as water services, waste management and roads, were outlined yesterday in a report.
The Minister for the Environment and Rural Development, Mr Dempsey, said that Ireland was rapidly moving from the tentative adoption of pilot schemes in public and private partnership ventures towards their full implementation as Government policy in key areas.
He was giving his approval to a report, commissioned by his Department from management consultants PriceWaterhouse Cooper which argues the case for more public-private partnerships (PPP).
The report is expected to provide a major input into the development of the Government's policy for the advancement of such projects.
"The National Development plan 2000-2006 puts considerable emphasis on the importance of PPP for the delivery of the infrastructural investment programmes," said Mr Dempsey.
"The PriceWaterhouse Cooper report provides a useful resource for local authorities and it is hoped that it will raise general awareness about PPP."
The report found that there was "considerable potential" for the use of partnership models in Ireland, particularly in the roads, water and waste management sectors.
These involve the provision of services or the construction of infrastructure using new forms of PPP contract that involve the private sector in the design, construction and in many cases, the operation of works.
What is envisaged is the development of "different models" of partnership to meet specific sectoral needs.
The Minister reported "good progress" in respect of the existing PPP pilot-scheme proposals, announced in June 1999, in the area of roads, public transport, education, water supply and waste management.
The Minister denied that the implementation of public and private partnerships, particularly for local authorities, meant privatisation on a grand scale. In each case, he said, the contract would be carefully tailored to ensure a maximum return for the taxpayer, not just in economic terms, but also to ensure what was best for the environment.