Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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222. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if, in the context of the preview of the capital programme, he has identified specific issues requiring particular investment to address infrastructural deficits in either road and rail transport, communications or other sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13542/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The recent review of the capital plan, Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016–2021, was published in September 2017. This review:

- confirmed the compelling case for increased public capital investment to strengthen Ireland’s public capital infrastructure and build the resilience of the economy in terms of significant risks such as Brexit;

- emphasised the need in the context of the implementation of the National Development Plan to closely monitor and manage potential overheating risks and to continue to build the economy’s supply capacity and competitiveness;

- highlighted the requirement to increase the efficiency and value-for-money of public capital investment to make best use of scarce Exchequer resources in light of competing needs; and

- stressed the societal transformation required to transition to Ireland’s climate change objectives.

The Infrastructure Demand and Capacity Analysis undertaken by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service as part of the review of the 2015 capital plan identified the priority areas listed below for future public capital investment:

- Transport: maintenance and upgrading of the road network and public transport to protect asset quality and value, meet demand forecast, ease congestion and to meet climate action objectives.

- Education: higher education and the schools building programme.

- Health: subject to further analysis of the totality of health capacity and infrastructure.

- Housing: on the basis of the review of the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.

This analysis informed the investment decisions outlined in the recently published National Development Plan. Identified specific issues requiring particular investment to address infrastructural deficits in, for example, road and rail transport, communications or other vital sectors are outlined in detail in Chapter 5 of the National Development Plan.