Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As part of the budgetary process each year, my Department sets overall expenditure ceilings for each ministerial Vote group. These are laid out at budget time in the expenditure report with further detail then provided in the Revised Estimates for public services.

Following allocation of each ministerial expenditure ceiling, it is a matter for each Minister to assign funding as appropriate at programme and subhead level for his or her Department and the agencies under its remit, taking into account the demands for services in different areas and regions and having regard to demographics and other relevant factors.

Regarding capital expenditure, the national development plan, NDP, out to 2030 is underpinned by ten national strategic outcomes. National strategic outcome No. 2, enhanced regional connectivity, seeks to enhance intraregional accessibility through improved transport links between key urban centres of population and their respective regions, as well as improving transport links between the regions themselves.

The Department of Transport launched the national investment framework for transport in Ireland, NIFTI, in late 2021, which sets out the prioritisation for future investment in the land transport network to support the delivery of the national planning framework, NPF. Investment in the regional and commuter bus fleet will continue with the purchase of up to 400 new vehicles. A strategic rail review was launched late last year, which will examine all aspects of the interurban and interregional rail network, including decarbonising the railway and the feasibility of higher speeds and increased capacity.

Under the NDP, the national roads programme will continue to provide for improved connectivity across the years out to 2030. Accordingly, there will be significant investment in the national road network across the next decade. A total of 31 specific national road projects were identified as priorities in the NDP. This is not an exhaustive list and these projects will progress through the relevant approval processes at different speeds, depending on the particular nature of the projects. Funding from within the available budget will then be provided as necessary.

In my further responses we can discuss the more local issues.

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