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

The majority of works which the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is delivering are fully funded by the Exchequer because it is appropriate in those cases. Many of those projects are of a scale where a PPP model is not appropriate and they can only be funded by the Exchequer.

On whether we are squeezing out other capital commitments because of the value of unitary payments to which we are committed, it is fair to say that the value of unitary commitments which are coming up is significant. It is now an average of €410 million per annum between 2024 and 2035. However, at this point it is not squeezing out other capital investment because it forms part of the Ireland 2040 plan. We are increasing capital investment by a quarter next year alone, and my attitude towards future projects is clear, namely, that we should decide PPPs on a case-by-case basis.

We should bear in mind that, regarding the unitary payments that I touched on, in many cases they pay for the maintenance of projects that are built. We should decide if PPPs are appropriate on the basis of the project rather than any broader policy.

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