Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
30. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the changes he is making to give certainty regarding long-term funding to State bodies involved in procuring long-term infrastructure projects for example Irish Rail; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11100/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level.
The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects or sectoral policy strategies, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan (NDP), rests with the individual sponsoring Department in each case. Each Minister is responsible for deciding on the priority programmes and projects that will be delivered under their remit within the NDP and for setting out the timelines for delivery.
The NDP Review 2025 was published on 22 July 2025, in line with the Programme for Government commitment and is the State's medium-term plan for public capital investment. The NDP Review 2025 provided for public capital investment of €275.4 billion over the period 2026-2035. The review set out five-year Departmental capital allocations to 2030 and overall capital expenditure ceilings for the 10-year period to 2035.
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.
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.
In developing these sectoral plans, departments were required to demonstrate how their proposed investments align with the objectives of the National Planning Framework (NPF). This ensures that increased capital spending supports balanced regional development.
These sectoral plans are available on each Departmental webpage on the gov.ie website and will provide the Deputy with further detail on a sectoral basis, including associated rail projects.
