Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
61. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an overview of the progress made to date under National Strategic Outcome (NSO) 7 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; the additional funding allocated under this NSO following the review of the NDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70627/25]
View answerAs Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level.
In the 2021 NDP review, the Government originally committed €165 billion in capital investment for the period 2021-30, and subsequently agreed to additional funding of €2.25 billion in March 2024 for 2024-2026.
The revised National Development Plan, published in July, set out €275.4 billion in public capital investment to 2035 – the largest and most significant capital injection in our economy in the history of the State. Following the agreement of the revised NDP in July 2025, gross capital expenditure ceilings for all sectors have now been set out to 2030.
National Strategic Outcome (NSO) 7 covers the delivery of Enhanced Amenity and Heritage. Ireland’s heritage is of fundamental importance to our society, identity, well-being and economy. Investment in our heritage has the dual benefit of protecting our natural and historic built environment while also enhancing public health and well-being, as well as supporting economic development through tourism and recreation.
Key progress has been made under NSO 7, including:
• Development of a national Velodrome and Badminton Centre which will deliver Ireland’s first-ever indoor cycling track to be developed at the National Sports Campus and a 12-court state of the art badminton centre.
• Fáilte Ireland announced six new capital projects in 2025, including: Dún Aonghasa Visitor Centre in Galway which will include redevelopment with climate change exhibits and interpretation hubs, and the Bray Head Signature Discovery Point in Kerry with a transformed Signal Tower providing a viewing point of the Skelligs.
• Investment of €37 million in our National Archive which will encompass the provision of secure environmentally controlled Archival Repository. The project will convert the existing single-storey warehouse to a two-storey Archival Repository. This will accommodate not only our current volume of records but will also provide opportunities to develop additional archival storage as required into the future.
• The recently published Office of Public Works NDP Sectoral Investment Plan (2026–2030) allocates over €1.8 billion, and includes investment in heritage conservation and visitor experience enhancements to support tourism and cultural assets.
The Government is committed to reporting regularly on the delivery of the NDP. Details of more projects and programmes being delivered under NSO 7 can be found in the latest Capital Investment Tracker, which I published in May 2025. This tracker provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million. Accompanying the tracker, the myProjectIreland interactive map provides detailed information on projects across the country, including smaller investments such as schools and cultural and sporting amenities. The map allows users to search by city, county, or eircode to view projects in their local area.
I also would like to advise the Deputy that the Project Ireland 2040 Annual and Regional Reports highlight achievements and give a detailed overview of the public investments that have been made throughout the country, including detail from across Government on the national strategic objectives. The forthcoming Project Ireland 2024 Annual and Regional Reports will provide full and up to date detail on delivery of the National Strategic Outcomes.
