Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As mentioned by my colleague, Deputy Mairéad Farrell, the motion pertains to capital carryover from one year to another and is required before the Minister can make an order for the spending of the carryover. In that regard, the motion and the order itself are essentially technical in nature as the decision on the amount of carryover by Vote has already been determined in the 2020 Appropriations Act, with the carryover allocations by Vote and subhead already set out in the Revised Estimates that were published in December. The motion and the order before us do not involve any new policy decisions or specific funding allocations. The motion is concerned with money included in the 2020 allocations voted by the Dáil that has gone unspent. Rather than going back to the Exchequer, the 2004 Act allows for unspent allocations to be carried forward up to a maximum of 10% of capital allocation by Vote. This was an important and welcome development, ensuring our economy is not starved of investment due to delays in a given calendar year. This is particularly important in the context of Covid-19.

Under the rules, Dáil approval of the draft order is required before any carryover amounts can become a first charge against the subheads concerned, which allows for the spending of capital carryovers. This provides the kind of flexibility that is needed now, more than ever before. The capital underspend was just under €710 million for 2020 with the equivalent capital carryover for 2021. That represents 7.2% of the total capital allocation for 2020. I recognise that the primary reason for this level of underspending is Covid-19 and the associated restrictions. The underspend is both understandable and unavoidable. However, we have suffered from an infrastructure deficit as a result of years of underinvestment by successive Fine Gael Governments which really underscores the need for sustained levels of capital investment in the years ahead in major transport, housing and health infrastructure as well as local projects.

On 22 January the Central Bank in its quarterly bulletin estimated that unemployment will not return to pre-pandemic levels until after 2022. We all know that capital expenditure is a key driver and lever in supporting employment and it will be absolutely crucial in the years ahead. Capital investment by the Government can ensure jobs are supported State-wide, including in Donegal and other regions that have been forgotten. These are regions which the figures show clearly have the highest levels of deprivation and unemployment and the lowest levels of disposable income. We need policy development that is based on facts and figures and data shows that Donegal is one of the hardest hit counties in terms of job losses as a result of Covid-19. The Minister and the Government cannot allow some bureaucratic blockages to delay projects that would provide jobs for Donegal. Many such projects have been proposed by myself, my colleague Deputy MacLochlainn and other Members from the area.

As the motion relates to the Appropriations Bill I will again raise a project in Donegal that I have raised on numerous occasions with the Minister, most recently last December when the aforementioned Bill was before the Dáil. I refer to the new Finn Harps stadium. Tá an tionscnamh seo geallta agus tá muintir Bhealach Féich agus Srath an Urláir ag fanacht agus ag fanacht leis. Tá an coiste áitiúil, na himreoirí agus an lucht tacaíochta fágtha ag fanacht. Leis an toil cheart pholaitiúil tá an deis ann an rud ceart a dhéanamh. Seo tionscnamh atá ina shuí ansin, réidh le dul chun cinn. Dá dtabharfaí an cead dó, bheadh poist á gcruthú sa cheantar agus bheadh dul chun cinn i dteannta chúrsaí spóirt sa chontae. Seo an t-am anois le solas glas a thabhairt don tionscnamh seo. As I said before, the Finn Harps stadium is a shining example of how we can get shovel-ready projects moving. It is a project that can create employment in one of the counties worst hit by unemployment as a result of Covid-19, a county that was already starved of employment before the pandemic. It is a shovel-ready project that would create jobs locally and enrich the sporting community in Donegal. A total of €1.2 million was spent by the State on this project over a decade ago but it has been left sitting idle, with work stalled since 2014. The project has planning permission and is ready to go ahead. Commitments were made by the Department previously and now it is time to deliver. As I said, this is a shovel-ready project that would support jobs and serve the local community. I urge the Minister to ensure that funding is provided to move the Finn Harps stadium project forward in 2021.

There are many other projects in need of funding and I note that the Minister said that walking projects will be part of this new capital allocation. In that context, I draw his attention to the main street in Glenties. As I pointed out previously to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, people are regularly tripping and falling and are, unfortunately, taking cases against the local authority. There are many other projects that could be funded with this money.

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