Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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118. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will report on his Department's work on allocating additional resources for infrastructure investment in view of the Taoiseach’s decision to abandon the 45% debt-to-GDP ratio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31493/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The 45 per cent debt-to-GDP target is currently under review and an update will be provided in the Summer Economic Statement to be published in July.

Regarding infrastructure investment the Government has acknowledged the need for, and is conscious of the importance of, boosting the supply of critical infrastructure.

The current Capital Plan sets a baseline from which the Government intends to increase investment in critical infrastructure, including in areas such as housing and health.

As outlined in the 2017 Estimates, gross voted capital expenditure will increase to €4.5 billion in 2017. This represents an increase of €325 million in comparison to the 2016 outturn. By 2021 it is envisaged that Gross Voted Capital Expenditure will reach €7.3 billion, an increase of over 100 per cent in comparison to its level in 2014.

These increases in investment over the coming years will be allocated to identified priorities on the basis of the outcome of the review of the Capital Plan currently underway.