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

The original plan, Project Ireland 2040, and the national development plan which flowed from it stands. There was going to be a review in 2022 and we are bringing forward that review by a year. We should have the revised national development plan by the middle of 2021. There is more money going into capital expenditure than we intended so there will be some scope for new projects and others will have to be re-profiled because of various issues that have delayed them. There will be something of a change in focus which will be more towards digital, with a little bit more on housing and climate. That we have gone from full employment to high unemployment will have to be recognised in any national development plan. As the Deputy has said, job creation is going to be a big part of that, which will mean ensuring the national broadband plan benefits all parts of east Cork so that there will be more job opportunities there. It may mean improving the service to some of the commuter rail stations around Cork, such as Midleton in east Cork. That will be a very significant focus of the plan.

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