Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 157 together.

As I announced in budget 2018, the Government has allocated significant increases in public capital investment amounting to €4.3 billion over the period 2018-21. This was in addition to the additional €2.2 billion for housing already allocated prior to that for the implementation of the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. These funding allocations were informed and advised by the detailed analysis and assessment carried out in the context of the recent review of the 2015 capital plan, Building on Recovery, which I published in September. Consequently, between 2014 and 2021, public capital expenditure in Ireland will have more than doubled and as set out by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, this will see public investment in Ireland moving to among the highest in the European Union, EU. I am satisfied this new planned level of public capital investment represents an appropriate balance between the need for additional investment to realise the economy's long-term growth potential, the capacity of the economy to deliver sustainable public infrastructure consistent with fiscal and macroeconomic sustainability and the need to adhere to the responsible and reasonable spending.

In the meantime, the delivery of a large number of public capital investment projects and programmes is proceeding. The position relating to any individual project is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant responsible Minister and the review of the 2015 capital plan includes an update for each Department setting out the significant progress already being made in implementation. A copy of the review has been supplied to all Deputies. My Department also published a major projects tracker, providing an update on progress on all projects above €20 million.

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