Thursday, 11 Dec 2025

Strategic Infrastructure

Ceisteanna (6)

Barry Heneghan

Ceist:

6. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the priority capital projects in Dublin Bay North that fall under his Department’s oversight, including planned investment to expand community infrastructure such as primary care capacity, school buildings, and targeted disability facilities to meet projected population growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70843/25]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

The NDP Review 2025 was published on 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.

The Programme for Government set out the clear prioritisation for the NDP 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.

Following the allocation of the NDP Ministerial Expenditure Ceilings, 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, along with the National Development Plan.

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 Dublin, and including in the priority sectors of energy, water and waste water, transport, housing and health.

My Department tracks investment by county and some of the critical infrastructure delivered in Dublin is to the benefit of all its residents, including people in Dublin Bay North.

These works include for example Bus Connects Dublin, and enhancements to wider public transport capacity; water and wastewater works in Ringsend, Saggart Reservoir and Upper Liffey Valley. Further delivery under the NDP has included 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.

Significant education construction has been completed in North Dublin including works on Stapolin, Belmayne and St. Francis of Assisi National School & Belmayne Educate Together Schools.

In recent weeks, individual Ministers have developed sectoral level 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, and are available on each Department’s website with full details. These include a range of projects across Dublin county and city, which will serve both national and local level needs.

For example:

• investment in health infrastructure includes works at the National Children’s Hospital and supporting the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital;

• housing investment includes delivering over 1,400 new social housing units and over 1,600 new affordable housing units across the county;

• investment in our justice infrastructure including Mountjoy and Wheatfield Prisons and the Dublin Family Courts; and

• and investment in culture and heritage infrastructure including the RDS arena and the Samuel Beckett Civic Campus.

An upfront injection of €2billion is to be provided for Uisce Éireann in 2025, and another €2.5billion is available for drawdown by Uisce Éireann up to 2030. This is to support delivery of critical water and wastewater infrastructure including works for the Greater Dublin Area Drainage Project, a significant investment in regional wastewater treatment with capacity to serve 500,000 people. This critical investment will underpin the Government’s commitment to delivery of 300,000 new housing units by 2030.

Full details on each Department’s sectoral investment plans for capital projects across the country are available on each Department’s website. Final plans by all Departments are expected to be published by the end of the year.

Questions Nos. 7 and 8 answered orally.

Strategic Infrastructure

Ceisteanna (9)

Paul Lawless

Ceist:

9. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the specific legal and regulatory reforms being implemented under the recently published Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan; the timeline for when these measures, such as changes to judicial review processes and planning exemptions will take effect to reduce delays in housing, energy, and transport projects. [70377/25]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

The Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan was published on Wednesday 3 December. It contains thirty actions that cross four key pillars of reform. These four pillars are Legal Reform, Regulatory Reform and Simplification, Coordination and Delivery Reform and Public Acceptance. Specifically, on legal reform there are seven actions that the Government will progress as a priority.

These actions seek to lessen the reliance on the courts as arbitrators of planning and regulatory decisions. The goal is not to dilute safeguards but to eliminate unnecessary duplication, provide more certainty to planning and regulatory decisions and hence, reduce the risk aversion that is slowing down processes. Reforms to judicial review are a key component of the legal reform package.

Judicial review is an important tool for challenging the legality of decisions by public bodies. However, as the administrative complexity of the State rises, the application of this test to a significant number of the decisions made by public bodies has the practical impact of delaying the development of critical infrastructure. This imposes very real costs on taxpayers and society in general. Nearly as many judicial reviews of An Coimisiún Pleanála planning decisions have been taken in the first six months of 2025 as in all of 2023.

In response, the Action Plan commits that Government will progress fundamental reform of the judicial review system through the enactment of a Civil Reform Bill. However, Government will also explore the scope for interim steps that might achieve a better balance of access to justice, while protecting the interests of taxpayers costs and the wider public good. The timelines and responsible bodies for these actions are detailed in the Action Plan.

In parallel with reforms to judicial review, legislation will be progressed to accelerate critical infrastructure and to provide for appropriate emergency powers. In addition, Government will increase the exemption thresholds for critical infrastructure where possible, allowing for more efficient expansion of existing facilities and will advance reforms that promote a more targeted and proportionate approach to environmental impact assessment.

By streamlining approval processes, removing duplication, and raising thresholds for environmental scrutiny, these reforms will shorten timelines for project approvals and free up resources. Legislative and procedural changes will achieve a better balance of individual rights and the common good, reducing the number of decisions subject to judicial review. The success of these actions will be measured by faster decisions, more efficient use of public resources, and a demonstrable improvement in the timeline for delivery of critical infrastructure projects.

Questions Nos. 10 to 15, inclusive, answered orally.

Public Procurement Contracts

Ceisteanna (16)

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

16. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he monitors external contracts within Government departments for value for money. [69852/25]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

Public Procurement is governed by EU and national rules. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive, and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for money.

The Government is committed to ensuring that value for money is a key consideration for external contracts. In July, my Department published new guidance (Circular 18/2025: Value for Money Obligations), which set out the value for money obligations on all civil and public servants. Building on the work undertaken to date, value for money will also constitute a key theme permeating the National Public Procurement Strategy.

Individual Accounting Officers in each Government Department are responsible for ensuring that their public procurement functions are conducted in line with procurement rules and procedures and that contract prices are fair and reasonable and represent best value for money.

The Office of Government Procurement has published the Public Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services. These Guidelines provide a comprehensive interpretation of the public procurement regulations designed to improve consistency and promote best practice in the application of the public procurement rules to deliver best value for money. In addition, the OGP's Key Account Managers are in regular contact with Procurement Officers in Government Departments and public bodies to assist and support them in fulfilling their obligations in relation to public procurement.

Question No. 17 answered orally.

Strategic Infrastructure

Ceisteanna (18)

Brendan Smith

Ceist:

18. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the way in which the new infrastructure plan will accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure in Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70551/25]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

Last week, the Government published the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan. This is a comprehensive programme of actions designed to speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure across the State. This Action 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 report is evidence-based. It has been built on the research and analysis of my Department, the views received during the public consultation and stakeholder engagement undertaken by my Department over the summer, and the expert input and advice from the members of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce.

The Plan sets out 30 targeted actions grouped under four pillars, each addressing a key area of reform. The actions address the twelve barriers to the timely delivery of infrastructure that were highlighted in the Report on Stakeholder Consultation and Engagement with Emerging Themes on Infrastructure, published by my department in July.

A four-week online and in-person public consultation last summer supported the preparation of that Report published in July, by providing an opportunity for stakeholders and the general public, from across the country, to feed into this work. I hosted events during this consultation period, including a regional event in Athlone.

The actions selected represent a transformative approach to streamlining development processes and significantly reducing delivery timelines, ensuring a more efficient and timely delivery of critical infrastructure nationwide.

Together, these actions will ensure that the record investment under the National Development Plan (NDP) translates into faster, more efficient delivery of housing, energy, and transport infrastructure, supporting Ireland’s economic growth, climate commitments and Delivering Homes, Building Communities.

This will benefit every county and region of Ireland as infrastructure projects play an essential role in supporting Ireland’s balanced economic growth and meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding population.

Flood Risk Management

Ceisteanna (19)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

19. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if any action has been, or will be, taken to address the cross-Border flooding issue along the river Termon, which affects the town of Pettigo in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70828/25]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

The level of flood risk in the community of Pettigo was considered during the recent review of the national Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, which is a requirement under the EU ‘Floods’ Directive. An assessment of historical flood events noted that floods had occurred in the community in the past, with some properties affected. A predictive assessment of flood risk, based on the national indicative flood mapping, also identified that some flood risk may exist in the town.

Following public consultation, it was determined that the level of risk in Pettigo was not sufficient for the community to bae designated as an Area of Potentially Significant Flood Risk, which are the areas of flood risk that are nationally significant that may require intervention and assessment at a national-level.

Notwithstanding this, it was identified that a review of the national indicative flood maps for Pettigo should be undertaken to assess in more detail the level of risk in the town. As the River Termon forms the border, the OPW has engaged with colleagues in the Department for Infrastructure, Rivers (DfI Rivers), in Northern Ireland on this matter. DfI Rivers had previously scoped and proposed a project to assess the flood risk along the River Termon, including a pre-feasibility assessment of possible options for addressing the flood risk.

At the most recent meeting of the Cross-Border Flood Risk Management Technical Coordination Group in September this year, it was agreed that the OPW would collaborate with DfI Rivers on this assessment project. It is expected that the results of the project will be available in mid-2026.

The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme was introduced by the OPW in 2009. The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding or coastal erosion problems within their administrative areas. It would be open to Donegal County Council to consider making an application for funding under the Scheme to address the flood risk at this location.

Coastal Erosion

Ceisteanna (20)

Michael Cahill

Ceist:

20. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the initiatives being taken to tackle coastal erosion and flooding in Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70371/25]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

I am very familiar with the coastal erosion and flooding issues in Kerry having visited the county twice, on 11th, 12th September and the 20th and 21st November 2025.

Local coastal erosion and flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each local authority to investigate and address. The OPW is working closely with Kerry County Council to implement a number of initiatives to tackle coastal erosion and flooding in the county. We are currently funding three local authority staff in Kerry County Council to manage the delivery of flood relief schemes, a Senior Executive Engineer, Executive Engineer and a Senior Staff member.

Minor Works Scheme

The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme was introduced by the Office of Public Works in 2009. The purpose of the scheme is to provide 90% funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding or coastal erosion problems. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short time frame.

Since 2009, OPW has approved some 40 projects and €4.2m to Kerry County Council under the Minor Works Schemes. Some €2.9m of this approved funding relates to coastal erosion works and studies.

Kerry County Council has identified areas of soft coastline such as Rossbeigh/Inch, Banna/Ballyheigue and along the Maharees peninsula as being particularly vulnerable to coastal erosion. A Minor Works application for Maherabeg has been reviewed by the OPW and a request for further information from Kerry Co. Council will be reviewed once submitted.

Flood Relief Schemes in Kerry

The Government has also committed to investing some €81m for the design and construction of flood relief schemes for Co. Kerry. Tralee, Kenmare, and Banna all have coastal elements to them.

Banna

To progress this scheme design Kerry County Council is completing a wider flood risk assessment; including of the channels to the north and general drainage from the Ballyheigue area.

Tralee

As part of the design, to protect 717 properties, the consultants have carried out options assessment of 11 appraisal areas. Following this screening process a series of flood risk management options were developed for each area with both fluvial and coastal options. A Public Consultation Day will be held in the coming months, to bring all options appraised to the public for their feedback. It is programmed to submit the scheme to planning at the end of 2026.

Kenmare

The scheme’s design is being progressed to protect 235 properties. The consultant has carried out options assessment and identified 6 fluvial options and 3 coastal options. These options are currently progressing through the Multi Criteria Assessment process. It is programmed to submit the scheme to planning early in 2027.

Coastal Monitoring.

The OPW are currently working on the development of National Coastal Erosion Hazard Mapping and a Past Coastal Erosion Database to assist in identifying areas at potentially significant risk of coastal change.

The former will provide spatial mapping to identify coastal areas that may be exposed to coastal erosion in the future, the latter is a web-based platform which will allow members of the public to report coastal erosion observed in their locality.

Ballyheigue was included in the Pilot Coastal Monitoring Survey Programme (CMSP) which was a five year pilot project which ran from 2020 to 2024. Additionally the OPW completed an aerial imagery and LiDAR survey of the full Kerry coastline in 2021.

This work follows the recommendations outlined in the Report of the Interdepartmental Group on National Coastal Change Management Strategy, where the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage chair an Interdepartmental Steering Group on Coastal Change Management and the OPW has been designated by the Government as the national lead coordinating body for the assessment of coastal change hazards and risks.