Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2026
77. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the critical infrastructure projects he is considering to curb budget overruns caused by external market factors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51546/26]
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.
As part of the budgetary process each year, my Department sets overall expenditure ceilings for each Ministerial Vote Group. These are laid out at Vote level in the Budget Day Expenditure Report published in October with further detail provided in the Revised Estimates for Public Services published in December.
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, for setting out relevant timelines and overseeing delivery.
The NDP Review 2025 was published on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, in line with the Programme for Government commitment. The Plan committed €275.4billion in public capital investment to 2035, the largest and most significant capital injection in our economy in the history of the State, and an additional €10billion in equity release up to 2030. This included €3.5billion for energy grid capacity, €4.5billion for water and €2billion for low-carbon transport including Metrolink.
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.
Departments subsequently 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. The plans include planned investment and projects across the country, including a range of projects and critical infrastructure works.
The delivery of departmental sectoral plans to 2030 remains a priority for Government. Responsibility for the management of individual projects, including measures to address cost pressures arising from external market factors, rests with the relevant sponsoring Minister and Department.
