Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the Governments recently announced €2.25 billion capital investment programme; the number of jobs to be created; the timeframe for same; and the sources of the required €2.25 billion funding. [41702/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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On the 17th of July 2012, the Government announced its plans for an additional 2.25 billion euro investment in public infrastructure projects in Ireland. The stimulus package comprises two elements: 1.4 billion euro to fund the proposed new Public Private Partnerships (PPP) programme. This will come from the European Investment Bank, the National Pensions Reserve Fund, domestic banks and other potential sources of funding. The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) and the Department of Finance are leading on sourcing this funding and are liaising with my Department in this regard; 850 million euro coming from the proceeds of the sale of State assets and from the new licensing arrangements for the National Lottery, to be used as a project preparation facility for the new PPP programme and to fund additional Exchequer capital projects and other commercial and publicly needed projects.

The 1.4 billion euro investment will be directed towards projects that meet key infrastructural needs and are in line with the priorities in the Government's Investment Framework. These projects will form the first phase of a new programme of PPP's designed to stimulate economic growth and create employment. As the Phase 1 projects are progressed and as funding permits, projects that could be delivered as part of further phases will be considered.

Job creation is a critical priority for Government. This stimulus will help sustain jobs in the construction sector which has been very badly hit during the recession. The investment in this Phase 1 package is expected to generate significant numbers of jobs: previous analysis of each sector indicates that the investment will generate around 13,000 jobs. It will also create much needed social and economic infrastructure and aid economic recovery. The projects selected are from the education, health, transport and justice sectors. Further information about the stimulus package and about the PPP projects is available on the website www.ppp.gov.ie.

My Department and the NDFA are closely engaged with the relevant line Departments and their agencies to ensure that their projects are progressed promptly. It is expected that tenders will issue across the sectors in 2013 and 2014.