Dublin City Task Force – Robert Watt to head up Project Management Unit and be CEO-Designate of Special Purpose Vehicle

Dublin City Task Force - Robert Watt to head up Project Management Unit and be CEO-Designate of Special Purpose Vehicle

• From: Department of the Taoiseach

• Published on: 21 April 2026
• Last updated on: 21 April 2026

Government agreed today that Robert Watt will be seconded to Dublin City Council as head of the Project Management Unit and as CEO-Designate of the Special Purpose Vehicle to be established to deliver on the recommendations of the Dublin City Task Force.

Mr Watt, whose term as Secretary General of the Department of Health has come to an end, is available for assignment to a new position. It has been agreed with Dublin City Council that Mr. Watt will be seconded from the Civil Service to this new post. The secondment will be for an initial period of three years.

Government set up the Dublin City Task Force in May 2024 to develop a plan to make Dublin City Centre a thriving, attractive, and safe place in which to live, work, do business, and to visit. The Task Force was chaired by David McRedmond, CEO of an Post, and included representatives from public services; community health; business and unions; arts, culture, and tourism, and private sector experts in architecture, urban design, and planning.

The Task Force presented a range of recommendations in its October 2024 report. Set out under "10 Big Moves" for regeneration, they focus primarily on revitalising O'Connell Street and the surrounding areas, tackling dereliction, and improving services and security.

The 2025 Programme for Government committed to implementing the Task Force's recommendations. In response to the Task Force's report, an Inter-Departmental Group considered the recommendations and prepared a plan to follow through on them.

In June 2025, Government approved the Implementation Plan and Roadmap for Delivery prepared by the Inter-Departmental Group, which envisaged that Dublin City Council would establish a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to ensure effective strategic direction, execution and oversight of the initiative.

Work on establishing the SPV as a legal entity is underway. To ensure urgency and momentum, a Project Management Unit is being put in place on an interim basis, with some staff already in situ and additional staff in the process of being recruited.

The initial focus will be development of a 10-year Integrated Area Strategy, to devise the optimal approach to sequencing delivery in the core area taking account of multiple projects in the pipeline, including major transport plans for the city centre.

Government and Dublin City Council want to maintain momentum on delivering on the implementation plan. In this context, the Government has agreed with Dublin City Council that Robert Watt will be seconded from the Civil Service to the Council as head of the Project Management Unit and as CEO-Designate of the SPV.

An Oversight Board, comprising all of the relevant Departments and Agencies, including Dublin City Council has been established to oversee and provide strategic direction for the Roadmap for Delivery. It is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and has been meeting regularly since its establishment in July.