Long-serving Laois Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming is set to be appointed as chairperson of one of the Oireachtas’s key committees.
Deputy Fleming has been confirmed by Fianna Fáil as the new Chairperson of the Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery in the Oireachtas.
A TD since 1997 and a former Minister of State, Fleming was one of the most high-profile casualties when Taoiseach Micheal Martin announced his senior and junior ministerial roles after Christmas.
Fleming held two Minister of State roles in the last Government and was chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in the Government prior to that.
Oireachtas chair roles are shared among all the parties relative to how many seats they have in the Dáil. A complex system is used to decide what party gets what role. The chairperson’s position comes with a top up of almost €11,000 in addition to the TD’s basic salary of just under €114,000.
“This new Committee is vitally important for our country and as Chairperson my emphasis will be to ensure delivery of the National Development Plan and the major Infrastructure Projects throughout the country,” said Fleming in a statement this afternoon.
“We all know many major projects in the State take far too long to be delivered and these timescales must be shortened.
“Delays in delivering projects not only adds to the costs but also prevents people getting services on a timely basis.
“The committee will examine every step along the way: from the initial concept of projects, through land acquisition, design, planning, tendering, legal issues, construction, commissioning and the overall delivery within realistic budgets.
“There will be a new National Development Plan published in the near future. Delivery of this plan and all the major infrastructure required across the country is essential for providing and improving services for all our people and the economic development of our country for decades ahead.”
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