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

The answer is, yes we are. We stand behind the public transport projects that are a fundamental part of the NDP that I prepared on behalf of the Government and got the approval of the Government for.

That sets out a plan worth €160 billion to the end of the decade. Of course, we acknowledge the impact of inflation in recent years. The Deputy is right to highlight that. We have all seen the inflation in tender prices and we are well aware of the impact of the war in Ukraine on inflation in the cost of construction materials. That has had an impact. We are seeing that working through in some of the tender prices coming in. That is why the Government has made the decision to allocate additional funding, using some of the windfall corporation tax receipts, to ensure we fully stand behind our national development plan objectives and priorities. The infrastructure, climate and nature fund will provide real funding for projects once they come through the statutory planning process. The Government is fully committed to the projects the Deputy has highlighted and looks forward to implementing them as soon as they are fully approved and have gone through the necessary procurement processes.

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