Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 170: To ask the Minister for Finance the steps that have been taken to reprioritise capital investment programmes towards more labour intensive projects and provide examples of projects which have been prioritised since the publication of Building Ireland's Smart Economy - A Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal 2009 to 2014. [17593/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department has already been analysing the labour intensity of capital projects with a view to redirecting resources in that regard on an ongoing basis. We are also very aware of the need to boost employment. The Government has already reallocated €150 million from within the overall capital allocation for 2009 in February last, to areas that, while providing a high economic return to the State, are also labour intensive. Of this €150 million, €75 million was provided for energy efficiency measures. €55 million of this was allocated to the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources (D/CENR) and €20 million to the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (D/EHLG).

The remaining €75 million has been allocated to the school building programme. Further decisions on reallocation will be decided in a Budgetary context for 2010 and beyond. Details of the operation of these schemes and individual projects instituted under them are a matter for the Ministers for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Environment, Heritage and Local Government; and Education and Science, respectively.