Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

To be quite honest with the Deputy, I am not sure where the two years is coming out of. I am speaking on the programme for Government for this Government. The Deputy is aware it was this Government that put into the programme for Government the commitment to deliver State-led facilities - not the last Government, this one. As this Government has been in place for less than nine months, I am at a loss to understand her timeline.

Specifically for delivery, the work of the forward planning unit must be allowed to continue.

Specific funding has been made available for 2026. I have given a commitment that in 2026 the public-led model will begin its journey, as it were. Some €36 million in capital funding is available for 2026. This will allow for a variety of things, including the acquisition of new builds, the expansion of existing facilities or whatever the case might be. In 2026, it is anticipated that this public model will deliver between 600 and 800 places. It will facilitate seven or eight new, specific, public-led models as the first step in a journey that will be completed over the lifetime of the Government.

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