Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
47. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation his views on whether public capital investment under the NDP in the electricity and water networks will be sufficient to enable delivery of housing and public transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11097/26]
View answerThe Programme for Government set out the clear prioritisation for the National Development Plan Review to ensure that investment can be maximised in the coming five years for strategic infrastructure. This includes the key energy, water and transport networks on which all future development relies. This is critical to allow Government to meet the additional 300,000 homes target and to support competitiveness.
The NDP Review 2025 published in July 2025, in line with the Programme for Government commitment 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.
In December 2025 the Government published the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan, indicating electricity, water and transport as critical infrastructure.
Arising from this, €19.1 billion in Exchequer capital investment is provided for in 2026. On Budget Day, Ministers set out the capital projects and programmes that they will prioritise investment in the critical growth-enabling sectors of water, energy, transport and housing. Clear prioritisation has provided for a structured and coordinated pipeline of the projects to be delivered, which manages labour constraints and allows for the building of expertise within sectors.
Departments have published sectoral investment plans setting out the capital projects to be prioritised from 2026 to 2030. These plans provide visibility of the delivery pipeline, giving construction firms the certainty they need to invest in hiring, training, and scaling their operations. This multi-year approach is designed to support industry planning and ensure that regional capacity can grow in line with demand. These sectoral plans are available on each Departmental webpage on the gov.ie website and will provide the Deputy with further detail on specific projects in energy, water and transport across the country.
The Water Services and Water Quality Sectoral Plan published by Department of Housing in November 2025 set out record investment of €12.2 billion to 2030, with €11.7 billion allocated to Uisce Éireann for major projects such as the Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region and the Greater Dublin Drainage Project, alongside upgrades in Limerick and Waterford. A further €230 million is earmarked for rural water services and €306 million for water quality programmes.
In Department of Transport received 24.3 billion for 2026–2030, comprising €22.3 billion under the NDP and an additional €2 billion from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund. This includes €10.1 billion for public transport projects such as MetroLink, DART+, BusConnects and Cork commuter rail, €9.7 billion for roads and €1.8 billion for active travel. These investments will transform urban mobility, strengthen regional connectivity, and support climate goals while enabling housing delivery.
Furthermore, the Action Plan report provides a comprehensive programme of actions designed to speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure across the State. The Plan responds to well-documented challenges of lengthy development timelines, fragmented processes, and rising costs. These have all been identified as major barriers to achieving Ireland’s housing, energy, and climate objectives. The Reforms outlined in the Action Plan report are designed to remove barriers to infrastructure delivery, ensure more consistent governance and a clearer pipeline for future delivery, particularly with respect to critical infrastructure projects.
Question No. 48 answered with Question No. 17.
