Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman very much for the second opportunity to meet the committee today and to present the 2017 Revised Estimates for my Department. I will make a few introductory remarks on the allocation highlights, as well as the key issues and priorities ahead. I will also introduce each sectoral programme in sequence but very briefly. First, I would like to introduce my officials. I am joined by Mr. Eugene Clonan, acting director of the Irish Coast Guard service, Mr. Caoimhín O'Ciaruain, my Department's head of finance, Ms Ethna Brogan, head of public transport investment, and Mr. John McCarthy, senior adviser in the roads division.

The 2017 allocation provides over €1.8 billion this year for my Department. This represents an increase of over €70 million, or 4%, on 2016, discounting the once-off supplementary Estimate. With many competing priorities within Government this represents a positive outcome for my Department's baseline funding as it enables us to make progress in some vital areas.

The land transport programme, which accounts for over 80% of my budget, will increase this year by €88 million, or 7%, to €1.46 billion. This provides for increases in both the roads and public transport programmes to address, in particular, the ongoing care and maintenance deficits, as well as growing congestion issues in our urban centres. As mentioned in the earlier section, it also provides a substantial increase in the PSO subvention this year. Baseline funding for sport also increases this year with an additional €3 million allocated to roll out a new round of the sports capital programme.

Today is yet another milestone in terms of the Brexit negotiations. Tourism, in particular, is in the front line in terms of the challenges that Brexit brings. With an overall envelope of €122 million, the two tourism agencies have been resourced to meet these challenges head on in 2017.

The maritime sector is key to Ireland's economic well-being, and safety at sea is paramount. The bulk of the Exchequer funding we provide under the maritime programme is to ensure the Irish Coast Guard is adequately resourced. This last year has been a very difficult and tragic one. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Eugene Clonan and his team, all the volunteers and the vital family and community support that underpin their heroic work, particularly in recent times. We will perhaps have an opportunity to discuss their work in more detail later.

I will now say a few words on the some of the key developments from a budgetary perspective this year. My Department's spends almost one third of the Government's capital programme. The mid-term review of the capital plan provides the Government with an opportunity to review progress and priorities and to make additional allocations from the available fiscal space over the remaining year of the capital plan.

My Department's submission to this review process has been conveyed to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the last week. In it we make a strong case for using a sizeable proportion of the available fiscal space to ramp up investment in transport, in particular to ensure that we avoid congestion eroding Ireland's competitiveness in the face of global challenges such as Brexit.

This review also offers an opportunity to enhance the level of capital investment in the other sectors within the Department's remit, particularly sport and tourism. While the baseline level of funding here is small compared to land transport, targeted investments can make a real impact both in tourism and sport.

In parallel with the capital review we are also engaged in a review of overall spending in advance of budget 2018. The spending review, as announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, is being undertaken on a targeted basis, examining various elements of our budget in terms of value for money for the taxpayer and helping to identify where modest increases in amounts of additional funding should be spent in 2018. This committee will have an important role in this regard in the coming months in helping to inform these decisions.

In accordance with the Vote layout, I will say a few words on the aviation programme and then take questions from members of the select committee as they arise.