Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 April 2026
32. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an overview of the progress made to date under National Strategic Outcome (NSO) 1 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27476/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service NDP Reform and Digitalisation, 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.
NSO 1 – Compact Growth aims to secure the sustainable growth of more compact urban and rural settlements supported by jobs, housing, community services and amenities, rather than sprawl and unplanned, uneconomic growth.
The careful management of sustainable growth for compact cities, towns and villages will add value and create more attractive places in which people can live and work. This is a fundamental principle of the National Planning Framework which the NDP is seeking to deliver and will require streamlined and coordinated investment in urban, rural and regional infrastructure by public authorities to realise the potential of infill development areas within our cities, towns and villages.
Some recently completed projects under NSO1 include:
In Housing -
93 new social housing units at Nangor Road, Clondalkin
93 new social units at Mount Avenue, Dundalk, Louth.
62 new social housing units at Maugheraboy in Sligo
310 new social housing units at Kilcarbery Grange in Clondalkin.
In Education -
A 1000 pupil post-primary school and SEN at Belmayne ETSS and
a 575 post-primary school and SEN at O'Carolan College in Nobber, Co Meath
In Health - two new surgical hubs at Mount Carmel in Dublin South and Swords, Co Dublin.
Details of projects and programmes being delivered under NSO 1 can be found in the latest capital investment tracker, which provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million. Accompanying the tracker, the myProjectIreland interactive map details projects across the country and provides details on specific projects by county, and contains smaller investments such as schools and social housing projects. Search facilities also allow citizens to view projects in their regional area, by city, by county or by eircode. The Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and myProjectIreland interactive map are all available on gov.ie/2040.
In December, Departments 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.
The plans include planned investment and projects across the country, including a range of projects and critical infrastructure works. These sectoral plans are available on each Departmental website and will provide the Deputy with further detail on a sectoral basis.
