Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We know of some projects that have been delayed, but my main concern is that we do not know the extent of those. Last September, Ministers warned that there would be a €14 billion deficit.

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council then stated that it would be €19 billion and that €2.7 billion extra would be needed each year to meet the existing capital plans. I know that €250 million was allocated but that is only 10% of what is needed. Two years of record inflation means that the level of funding is nowhere near sufficient. My concern is how that will play out on the ground in terms of vital projects that are needed and that are not being delivered. I will talk about one of those in my next contribution. I refer here to projects relating to hospitals, roads and schools that communities have campaigned and waited for for years. Those communities have been left in the dark wondering why the projects they thought had been agreed are not progressing at the speed they need them to.

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