Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, we have a national development plan of €165 billion over the coming years, which was published early in the lifetime of this Government. We have added to that with the allocation of a further €2.25 billion between 2024 and 2026, which follows the conclusion of more than 30 meetings between me and ministerial colleagues. In 2024, we now have €13 billion available; in 2025, €14.35 billion; and in 2026, €15.46 billion, one of the highest levels of capital investment as a share of national income in the European Union.

To deal with the thrust of Deputy Durkan's question, in terms of the challenge that we have had in recent years and the amount of capital funding now being spent, we put those days behind us towards the end of last year. Certainly, as I look into 2024, I am very confident that all Departments are very close to using all of their capital allocations. I can see that is the case so far in the first quarter of the year, where capital spending is up very significantly in a number of Departments compared to a year ago. What we have tried to do is bring to life what that capital spending can look like, not only through the reality of schools and hospital extensions being built but also, for example, through the publication of annual reports. Yesterday a new tracker was republished that allows us to see a visual representation of the country on a website. If you put in your eircode, you are able to see what projects are being delivered near you by the State to make progress on all of the things on which we need to make progress. If Deputy Durkan has a moment, he should have a look at it. I think he will find it a very clear way of sharing information with interested citizens.

See this speech in context