Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2026
54. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on critical infrastructure investment in north Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13343/26]
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. Furthermore, while the achievement of balanced regional development is a key priority of this Government and is at the heart of the National Planning Framework (NPF) which sets out the overarching spatial strategy for the next twenty years, along with the National Development Plan, expenditure is allocated by sector. 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.
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 a sectoral basis and with relevance to Kildare.
For critical infrastructure projects, Kildare will benefit from national level investments in energy including local authority climate action investments and the national retrofit plan, and upgrades to the Maynooth 220KV station. Wider investments in Kildare also include the EU Just Transition Fund which is actively transforming County Kildare, focusing on regenerative tourism, green skills, and community development following the end of peat harvesting. The Local Just Transition Plan for West Kildare also focuses on sustainable development, leveraging the broader €169 million Midlands investment to create new employment opportunities.
Key projects include public transport in the constituency such as Dart+ West and South West. Further social projects will be advanced with €5.5 million for 17 tourism projects across County Kildare including investment in Donadea Forest Park. Healthcare projects will be advanced including an upgraded 50 bed Mental Health Lakeview ward in Naas General Hospital. In addition, there will be a series of upgrade works to enhance the resilience of the Ballymore Eustace water treatment plant which will benefit the large catchment of almost 1 million person equivalents, including in Kildare North. This will facilitate the potential for further housing development and other commercial opportunities in the catchment area.
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.
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.
These sectors, electricity, water and transport, were further defined as critical infrastructure in the Accelerating Infrastructure Actions Report published last December. The Plan sets out 30 targeted actions grouped under four pillars, each addressing a key area of reform.
