Rory Hearne
Ceist:203. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Taoiseach for an update on the Programme for Government. [3627/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 20 January 2026
Ceisteanna (203)
Freagraí scríofa
The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, sets out a series of commitments across social, economic and environmental policy.
The Cabinet Committee structure plays a central role in overseeing the whole-of-government approach to implementing the Programme for Government.
In the twelve months since its publication, significant progress has been made across many of the areas set out in the Programme for Government. Some important examples include:
In the area of Housing:
• Government has published the new housing plan, “Delivering Homes, Building Communities”, which includes proposals for regulatory reforms, tax incentives, and the investment of €275 billion over ten years, the largest infrastructure investment in the history of the State.
• We have agreed reforms to rent pressure zones, strengthening the rights of tenants and stimulating increased investment and development activity.
• We are addressing challenges with the viability of apartment development, and have reduced the VAT rate on the sale of completed apartments from 13.5% to 9% to improve the scope for market delivery.
In the area of Infrastructure:
• We have updated the National Development Plan, providing unprecedented investment targeted at building more housing, upgrading water and energy infrastructure, delivering more roads and better public transport.
• We have established the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce and published its report, which will drive the efficient delivery of infrastructure across Ireland, streamlining development processes and significantly reducing delivery timelines.
• We have established a new Infrastructure Division within the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, which is driving wide-ranging reforms that will remove barriers to the delivery of strategic infrastructure.
We have published Ireland’s Sixth Nitrates Action Programme, underscoring Ireland’s success in retaining the Nitrates Derogation.
In the area of Economy, Trade and Competitiveness, the Government has published several key strategies and launched a number of important initiatives to support businesses. These include:
• The Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity.
• The Action Plan on Insurance Reform.
• The Action Plan on Market Diversification.
• The Cost of Business Advisory Forum.
• Ireland’s Action Plan to Promote Collective Bargaining 2026–2030.
• The Large Energy User Action Plan, which will enable Ireland to attract the next generation of investment in energy intensive sectors over the coming decades.
In the area of Disability:
• We have approved a record investment of €3.8 billion in disability services in Budget 2026, an increase of 20%.
• We have published a new National Disability Strategy, the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People (2025-2030).
• We have established the new Education Therapy Service, which will see therapists working in special schools.
In the area of migration:
• We have moved responsibility for International Protection back to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
• We have published the new International Protection Bill to provide a more streamlined, firm, fair and effective international protection system that aligns with the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.
• We have established the Strategic Migration Policy Group, which is working to develop the Migration and Integration Strategy.
In the area of Ireland-UK relations:
• We have established the new UK-Ireland 2030 programme of strategic co-operation, which puts in place new arrangements to support and strengthen interaction between Ireland and the UK.
• We had the first annual summit between Ireland and the UK Heads of Government last year in Liverpool. (Ireland will host the 2026 Summit.)
• We doubled the resources available to the Shared Island Fund, with a further €1 billion available out to 2035 to foster reconciliation, mutual respect and growth.
In the areas of Justice, Defence and National Security:
• We established a new Ministerial Council on National Security, which I chair.
• We approved an allocation of €1.49 billion in Defence funding in Budget 2026, an increase of €145 million (11%) compared to 2025.
• We approved an allocation of €6.17 billion for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, which will fund additional recruitment of gardaí and garda staff, additional overtime, and increased funding for the Prison Service, the Probation Service and the Courts Service, as well as €11.5 million of additional funding for Domestic and Gender Based Violence initiatives.