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

These are capital projects that communities and the country want and which the Government is delivering. With regard to accountability, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and I have answered the questions Deputies have put to us and we have participated in committee meetings on this. Both Departments have made available all the information they have on the matter and we are subject to the full rigours of accountability here in the House.

When we launched Project Ireland 2040, Deputy after Deputy denied that the projects would ever happen. Now we see the Deputies saying today that the projects are going to happen, but they wonder if they will be delayed. This Government has significantly increased investment in public capital for this year. It is more than €7 billion and we are planning to find ways to increase it further. We have acknowledged what could have been done differently on this project, the lessons we have and how we will learn from projects of this scale in the future. We have acknowledged how taxpayers and citizens feel about this project and the concern of families and children who will depend on the delivery of this project in the future. That is why we published yesterday what we will do differently for projects of this scale in the future, how we can change our processes and the further work that will happen to ensure that Departments and agencies are equipped to deliver projects of this scale.

However, in acknowledging that, I will continue to make the point that transport projects such as the M4, the Ardee bypass or the Ballyvourney to Macroom project, which the Deputies want, the additional 6,500 homes that are being delivered in Project Ireland 2040 and the projects under way in the Department of Education and Skills to build new schools and restore and repair existing schools are being well delivered by the State and are sought by communities. With regard to this project, the Minister for Health and I have acknowledged that there are clearly key areas that we will learn from in the future.

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