Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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4. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will outline the specific reforms under consideration following his Department’s review of barriers to infrastructure delivery; if these reforms will include changes to procurement processes, planning timelines, or inter-agency coordination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40188/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Inniu, tá mé ag iarraidh labhairt leis an Aire faoi digital reform. Will the Minister outline the specific reforms under consideration following the Department's review of the barriers for infrastructure delivery, and will these reforms include changes to procurement processes, planning timelines or interagency co-ordination?

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In April of this year, I announced Government had agreed a series of actions to accelerate the delivery of strategic infrastructure in Ireland. This work, led by my Department, will first identify and assess the barriers impeding the delivery of critical infrastructure across many sectors, including electricity, energy, transport and water. We will then publish an action plan which will target high-impact reform measures to address the barriers identified and speed up the development of this critical State infrastructure.

This work is being done because the availability of infrastructure in these sectors is particularly impeding our ability to provide for the needs of a growing population in housing and to improve the competitiveness of the economy.

At the moment, my Department is finalising the systematic, evidence-based review of the most impactful barriers to the timely development of infrastructure. This review is informed by research undertaken by officials in my Department, contributions provided by the accelerating infrastructure task force, evidence from direct engagement with key stakeholders, which remains ongoing, and the more than 170 contributions received via public consultation between 6 June and 4 July. This is in addition to input sought at the national economic dialogue on 16 June and a consultation event in Athlone on 18 June. I expect to receive an interim report from my officials on the most significant barriers to infrastructure development by the end of July. As I noted, this assessment of barriers is a critical input to the overall objective of this work programme, which is the development of an action plan to accelerate infrastructure provision. I expect to bring an ambitious action plan to Government in autumn, to publish it and move on to the work of implementing the agreed reforms.

In advance of this, I can share some of the key themes on barriers to infrastructure that have been expressed by stakeholders through the direct engagement and the public consultation. They are satisfied that infrastructure, once delivered, is of a high quality but the universal view is that the development of infrastructure in Ireland takes far too long. Stakeholders attribute the lengthy development cycles-----

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I can continue later.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Is deas é sin a chloisteáil. I am delighted to see that, this week, the Government announced the private wires policy. This was something we discussed during the formation of the Government and I am delighted to see the Minister is supporting it, too. I appreciate the response from him and I look forward to him finishing his contribution, but I heard Deputy McCarthy talk about flood defence. I hope the Minister of State will not forget north Dublin's flood defences as well.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I will have to go back to the Minister with all these requests.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The Minister of State visited the site and the residents are really thankful. While I am following up, the consequences of the poor co-ordination of infrastructure in Clongriffin and Belmayne in my constituency are being felt every day by residents. It is an extremely densely populated area, but there are no community facilities, including no library, no primary healthcare and an undersupply of school places. A submission has been made by Dublin City Council and I hope it will be looked at by the Minister. I was recently at a meeting with the LDA and the residents groups, and the communication had nothing about how the deficit would be addressed. I really hope the Minister will bring in these reforms and we will see visible change in north Dublin.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Private wires are an essential part of developing the wider need on energy and digital infrastructure. What I was about to say was that some of the lengthy development cycles and regulatory complexity and fragmentation across regulatory bodies is extremely problematic. Too much uncertainty and delay is driven by legal, planning and consenting processes. There is also the issue of capacity concerns in the public and private sectors, as well as the lack of realistic and specific State project pipelines. Additionally, there is some insufficient public acceptance of critical infrastructure to grow our economy.

On the direct point made by the Deputy concerning north Dublin, social infrastructure is obviously part of our wider capital allocation that we advance. It is then a matter for each Department to prioritise the social infrastructure in respect of different communities. We have significant programmes across the State, whether in sports capital, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht or, indeed, other parts of the Government that provide for significant social infrastructure across the State. Part of the national development plan will be to continue this over the period.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I urge his Department to take a more active role in identifying and responding to the key areas and needs left in Clongriffin, Belmayne and all of north Dublin in my constituency. This community has 15,000 people, with more moving in each year. The area does not even have a supermarket; people have to leave. The area has one of the highest rates of car ownership in Ireland. A recent study has shown that. This is because people do not have the ability to do otherwise. Infrastructure is something they really need.

I note the recent announcement by Dublin City Council in relation to the L-shaped land development in Belmayne. Clongriffin also needs infrastructure. In the meeting I was at last week, LDA officials were very informative, but they need support from the Minister's Department, so I ask him for it. We need joined-up planning that includes not just bricks and mortar, but the services and amenities that turn housing into real, sustainable communities. They deserve no less.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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If we look at the national planning framework and all the different existing policies, it is about complementing housing delivery with community infrastructure and social infrastructure. We have had significantly increased supports for the development of social infrastructure across the State. If we look back to the last Government, we had one of the biggest interventions around developing community and sports infrastructure, for example, which is being seen right across north Dublin and in many other parts of the country. Similarly, there is the work the then Minister, former Deputy Humphreys, did at the time concerning the wider social infrastructure across the State. There was a massive uplift in support.

Regarding the issue the Deputy referred to in Clongriffin, I have not seen a specific allocation in that regard, except to say we are committed to social infrastructure in our wider national development plan and this will continue over the next five years to give headroom to Departments and Ministers to complement housing delivery and economic infrastructure with the need to build sustainable communities. This is why transport infrastructure is extremely important in parallel as well.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy O'Connor very briefly. I know his Questions Nos. 7 and 9 were taken by Deputy McCarthy. Would the Deputy like to come in very briefly? I know he was at a select committee meeting.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I am sorry. I apologise because I am chairing a select committee this morning, too.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Deputy to be very brief. We have dealt with these questions, but I will give the Deputy an opportunity.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat. I just wish to reiterate the point regarding the need to expedite the flood schemes for Mogeely and Castlemartyr in terms of tranche 2 schemes and for Rathcormac as well, and the importance of this being done. Deputy McCarthy and I are in the House this morning as local Government TDs. The communities impacted post Storm Babet need to see this critical flood infrastructure being put in place. They have been left in limbo for far too long. I have been repeatedly raising this matter over the last number of years. I know the Minister and the Minister of State have very kindly come to the constituency to see the damage caused by Storm Babet and the follow-ups being done by the OPW, the Department of public expenditure and the local authority. When it comes to tranche 2 schemes, though, we have been waiting far too long for answers from the Government about where they are and getting them done. I would appreciate if this could be prioritised by the Department of public expenditure and the OPW.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I gave a detailed response earlier, but I fully appreciate and understand clearly where the Deputy is coming from. As I said to Deputy McCarthy, this is an area I am looking at. Ministers and Ministers of State have visited the area, including me. I know how important tranche 2 is, but I also know how important tranche 1 is. There are the bigger schemes we are delivering across the country, but, regarding tranche 2, some of the smaller schemes are being caught up and left behind. This is frustrating for the Deputy as an elected representative but also for the people of the areas he mentioned. I committed to visiting those areas inside the next two to three weeks. I am working on providing more funding to the local authorities through the minor works scheme, but I think we may be able to make steps forward in terms of the tranche 2 scheme. I fully appreciate and understand the pressure the Deputy is under as well.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I am going to move back briefly to Question No. 6 from Deputy Lahart. After this, just to be fair to everybody, I am not going to go back anymore if someone is not here. Just to be fair to Deputy Lahart, I will let him in now.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Flexibility is always welcome in a Chair.