Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2026
45. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will provide an update on the delivery of the Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan; the next steps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51481/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government set out the clear prioritisation for the NDP Review to ensure that investment can be maximised over the next five years in strategic infrastructure. This includes the key energy, water and transport networks on which future development relies. This is critical to enable Government to meet its target of delivering an additional 300,000 homes and to support national competitiveness. These sectors were further highlighted as critical infrastructure in the Accelerating Infrastructure Actions Report and Action Plan published last December.
At the end of Q2, strong progress has been recorded across all 30 actions, with legislative, regulatory and process changes being delivered. All commitments scheduled for Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 have been completed, while all Q2 commitments are well progressed, with majority already completed.
Key achievements in Q2 include:
• The Critical Infrastructure Bill completed all stages in the Oireachtas and was signed into law on 25 June 2026.
• The Statutory Instrument on Environmental Scale of Legal Fees was signed and came into force on 18 May 2026.
• The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill was published.
• The Department of Housing launched a public consultation on reforming and simplifying the Environmental Impact Assessment process.
• The General Scheme for legislation aligning road and rail consent processes was approved by Government in mid-June.
Impacts are beginning to emerge through reduced timelines and simplified processes such as:
• 26 weeks saved on the Waterford Wastewater Treatment Plant project due to the removal of external reviews and change in thresholds within the Infrastructure Guidelines by DPER.
• Ballymore Eustace to Saggart Water Mains Resilience Project also saves a similar average of 26 weeks due to the removal of the external review and the increased thresholds for Uisce Éireann major projects.
• Approximately 12 months have been removed from the Greater Dublin Drainage project timeline following changes to project commissioning arrangements by Uisce Éireann.
• Timelines for Marine Area Consents have been reduced by 30% for ‘fit and proper’ bodies.
• MetroLink has progressed ahead of schedule following the withdrawal of the Judicial Review, with tunnelling and PPP tender documentation already advanced.
Momentum remains strong, with all Q3 commitments on track and delivery of the Action Plan continuing.
