I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 274, inclusive, together.
As per the Programme for Government, a new Infrastructure Division has been established in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This Division, led by a Deputy Secretary General, is focused on how the provision of critical infrastructure can be accelerated. The Division is staffed by a combination of experienced civil servants and sectoral experts with first-hand experience of infrastructure delivery who were redeployed at the beginning of May from key state agencies.
Already, the new Division has conducted extensive public and stakeholder engagement to determine how the provision of infrastructure can be accelerated. Arising from that consultation and research conducted in parallel, my Department published a report on the most pressing barriers to infrastructure delivery in July. This identified twelve specific areas for reform across the regulatory environment, planning and legal systems, and systems internal to Government. The Infrastructure Division, supported by the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, are currently drafting a Final Report and Action Plan for Government approval. I expect to bring this report to Government in November.
Within this action plan will be a set of targeted, high impact actions that will aim to speed up the development of critical infrastructure by addressing the identified barriers. It will make the positive case for why our structures to deliver infrastructure need to be reformed and the benefits this will bring for all. Policy in relation to An Coimisiún Pleanála is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
In the interim, some reforms have already been introduced. As part of the National Development Plan review, a €275 billion investment programme has been announced for the period 2026–2035, including €10 billion in additional funding specifically targeted at electricity, water, and transport infrastructure. In addition, sectoral investment plans are being developed by Departments to support clearer prioritisation and to provide realistic pipelines for industry. The NDP also provided funding certainty for strategic projects such as MetroLink, the Greater Dublin Drainage Scheme, and the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project.
Finally, the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) will assume a new role, offering project management, procurement, planning, commercial and financial expertise to support Departments and Agencies in the development of major projects. Updated Ministerial Guidelines will be issued shortly to the NDFA by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services Reform and Digitalisation and the Department of Finance in respect of this broadened remit.
