Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
83. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the level of capital spending on Cork and Dublin in each of the years from 2022 to June 2025; the major capital spending plans for Cork going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70781/25]
View answerAs part of the budgetary process each year, my Department sets overall expenditure ceilings for each Ministerial Vote Group. These are laid out at Vote level in the Budget Day Expenditure Report published in October with further detail provided in the Revised Estimates for Public Services published in December.
Following the allocation of each Ministerial Expenditure Ceiling, it is a matter for each Minister to assign funding as appropriate at programme and subhead level for their Departments and the agencies under their remit, accounting for the demands for services in different areas and regions and having regard to demographics and other relevant factors. Within this process, both current and capital expenditure are allocated on a Departmental basis and not a geographic basis.
More broadly, the achievement of balanced regional development is a key priority of this Government and is at the heart of Project Ireland 2040, which includes the National Planning Framework (NPF), which sets out the overarching spatial strategy for the next twenty years, along with the National Development Plan (NDP).
Since Project Ireland 2040 was first launched in 2018, the Government has overseen the delivery of many impactful NDP projects across the country, including in Cork. These projects includes the Dunkettle Interchange upgrade and new platform at Kent train station; Library improvements in Kinsale and Macroom; new wards at Mallow General Hospital; water projects in Bandon, Cork City, Cork Lower Harbour and Skibbereen; and in 2025 alone, delivering capital works for 24 schools across the county.
In Dublin, major projects include for example transport infrastructure improvements with Bus Connects Dublin, enhancing the Luas green line capacity and station works at Kishogue and Pelletstown; water and wastewater works in Ringsend, Saggart Reservoir and Upper Liffey Valley; and investment in further education infrastructure at the TU Dublin Grangegorman, Tallaght and Blanchardstown campuses, completing the Polaris Building in DCU and redevelopments of the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
The NDP Review 2025 was published on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, in line with the Programme for Government commitment. The Plan committed €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.
Arising from this, €19.1 billion in Exchequer capital investment will be provided in 2026. On Budget day, Ministers set out the capital projects and programmes that they will prioritise within their allocation in 2026.
In recent weeks, individual Ministers have developed sectoral investment plans, for priority investment programmes and projects within their additional capital allocations for delivery across the country. Considering sectoral needs and Ministerial decisions, these plans reflect Government priorities, including the National Planning Framework commitment to balanced regional development.
The plans published to date include planned investment and projects across the country, including a range of projects across transport, justice and utility services in Cork for example the Midleton Waste Water Treatment Plant Project, transport works including the N72/Mallow Relief Road, the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy, Bus Connects Cork and the Cork Area Commuter Rail, and social and affordable housing at Horgans Quay and Mahon delivering over 390 housing units.
And in Dublin, projects include finalising works at the National Children’s Hospital and supporting the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital, delivering over 1,400 new social housing units and over 1,600 new affordable housing units across the county, investment in Cloverhill Prison Accommodation and the Dublin Family Courts, and developments at the RDS arena and the Samuel Beckett Civic Campus.
These departmental sectoral plans are available on each Department's website and will provide further detail on a sectoral basis.
Progress in achieving balanced regional development and detailing the delivery of the NDP is monitored through regular updates of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and MyProjectIreland interactive map viewer. The capital investment 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 details projects across the country and provides details on specific projects by county, and contains smaller investments such as schools, healthcare facilities and social housing projects. Search facilities allow users to view projects in their regional area, by city, by county or by Eircode.
In addition my Department also publishes the Project Ireland 2040 Annual Report and Regional Reports highlighting achievements and giving a detailed overview of the public investments that have been made throughout the country, including in Cork. These will provide the Deputy with even further detail on delivery under the NDP to date. These and other Project Ireland 2040 related documents can be found at www.gov.ie/2040
