Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Department has a number of ongoing research projects.

We have contracted the ESRI to do three specific projects, which have been happening over recent years and will also continue into this year. We have produced two of the reports. One, I think Professor Michelle Norris was involved in it, related to the appropriate use of social housing stock. If memory serves, that was the report. We always have ongoing technical research on issues such as building standards and building controls, helping to produce different reports and going back into different reports that might get published from time to time. The increased allocation for funding does not come on the back of any new programmes that have been put in place, but just because of the level of funding that is being delivered this year because more will be expected from those existing programmes.

One additional piece of research is the funding for the central Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service unit at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Deputy might remember we discussed reports it had produced on value for money and so on. This is work that is always ongoing in the background.

Regarding the €13 million, from the point of view of the Department, the money will not be drawn down this year. We can allocate it out of the Department to another Department, which is what has happened. However, because the budget for housing is ring-fenced, unlike other housing budgets, the €13 million will come back to us as new money next year. We are not just moving it into next year; we will actually get an additional €13 million next year because the funding commitment for housing is ring-fenced. That is, if one likes, where the new money comes from. The Deputy was saying we had to find the money some time; next year the €13 million will come back into the Vote, meaning it will not diminish what we have under the regeneration fund.

The allocation to infrastructure funding has been increased in 2019 because the serviced site fund comes in under the infrastructure fund subhead.