Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 10, inclusive, together.

Cabinet committee D works to ensure a co-ordinated approach in the areas of infrastructure investment and delivery, including housing and climate action. The Cabinet committee last met on 27 May. The next meeting of the committee has yet to be scheduled. There is significant work under way across each of the areas covered by the committee through Government Departments, agencies and a range of interdepartmental groups such as the Project Ireland 2040 delivery board. These matters are also regularly considered at meetings of Government and in bilateral meetings with the relevant Ministers.

Significant progress is being made on the implementation and delivery of Project Ireland 2040 and projects promised for many decades ware now well under way. Through the national planning framework, it sets out our strategic 20-year vision for Ireland’s future, balancing rural and urban development and linking it with the national development plan, which encompasses €116 billion in investment in public infrastructure over the next ten years to meet the infrastructural needs of our growing population. In May last, the Government launched the first annual report for Project Ireland 2040 and it is clear it is already delivering better transport links, building new schools, facilitating better health and environmental outcomes and yielding more housing. For the first time in decades, for example, three new hospitals are under construction, while 11 primary care centres will open this year and another 26 are in development. By the end of the year, some 410 school projects will have been completed or will have started construction, providing 40,000 extra or replacement school places, 200 modern science laboratories, 48 new or upgraded physical education halls and the replacement of 600 prefabricated buildings. In addition, work is under way on several long promised projects, including the upgrade to the N4 in Sligo and the new north runway at Dublin Airport.

The four funds launched under Project Ireland 2040 have a total of €4 billion to invest across the areas of rural and urban regeneration and development, climate action and disruptive technologies. The first round of funding allocations under these funds, amounting to just over €300 million, has been announced. These funds will leverage further private sector investment in innovative and targeted projects that deliver on the aims of Project Ireland 2040.

The Land Development Agency, another cornerstone initiative of Project Ireland 2040, was established on an interim basis in September 2018 and is working to ensure the optimum management of State land through strategic development and regeneration, with an immediate focus on providing new homes, including social and affordable housing.

Housing continues to be a priority for the Government and we have seen strong growth in housing completions and leading indicators such as planning permissions, commencement notices and housing registration. Last year, more than 18,800 new homes were built, an increase of 25% on the previous year. More than 2,600 homes were brought out of long-term vacancy and almost 800 dwellings in unfinished estates were completed, meaning the number of new homes available for use increased by more than 22,000 last year. This does not include student accommodation.

There was also strong delivery of publicly funded social housing in 2018. We are aware of significant challenges in meeting housing demand and tackling the ongoing failures in the housing market. For this reason, budget 2019 provided an increase of 25% in the housing budget which, at €2.6 billion, is the biggest ever.

Delivering on our EU climate commitments for 2030 and transitioning to a competitive, low carbon, sustainable economy by 2050 are also priorities. We are investing €22 billion in climate action through the national development plan to ensure that our future growth is regionally balanced and environmentally sustainable.

On 17 June, the Government published the climate action plan, which aims to give Irish people a cleaner, safer and more sustainable future. This far-reaching plan sets out the actions across electricity, transport, heat, agriculture and other areas that we need to take to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, give us cleaner air and warmer homes, and create the jobs of the future. The plan has a strong focus on implementation, including actions with clear timelines and the steps needed to achieve each action, assigning clear lines of responsibility for delivery. Delivering on the plan will require a deep level of collaboration across Government, and the plan sets out governance arrangements, including the establishment of the climate action delivery board, overseen by my own Department, carbon-proofing of policies in general, the establishment of carbon budgets and a strengthened Climate Change Advisory Council, as well as greater accountability to the Oireachtas through the Joint Committee on Climate Action.

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