Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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584. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated difference between the average annual steady-state cost of national, regional and local roads, heavy rail, Luas and buses with regard to the integration initiative as estimated in a report (details supplied) and the actual expenditure outlay in each of the years 2017 to 2020. [27655/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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In 2015 my Department published the Strategic Investment Framework for Land Transport (SFILT). As part of the extensive preparatory work for this publication, 21 background papers were produced and one of these estimated the steady state funding requirement for the transport network, as referenced by the Deputy. From 2017 onwards, SFILT estimated that the annual steady state funding requirement for my Department would be approximately €1.2bn. For ease of reference, I include the full SFILT steady state estimates in Table 1.

Table 1: Estimated annual steady state expenditure requirement, 2014-2016 and post-2016 (€m)

Isolating steady state investment from other types of transport expenditure can be difficult but, on the basis of available information, I include in Table 2 my Department’s best estimate of steady state investment in the regional and local road network and public transport from 2017 to 2020.

Table 2: Departmental steady state expenditure, 2017-2020 (€m)

*Allocated

**Projected

***Includes some additional capacity provision

Finally, I include in Table 3 the difference between the estimated steady state requirement and investment in regional and local roads and public transport from 2017 to 2020. As steady state expenditure on the regional and local road network includes current and capital expenditure, and current allocations are determined annually as part of the Budget process, a 2020 figure is not available at this point.

Table 3: Estimated difference between steady state requirement and investment, 2017-2020 (€m)

In a constrained fiscal context, Departmental spending fell short of the estimated steady state requirement over a number of years. However, with the increased capital allocations for my Department announced in Budget 2018 we will be investing more into our existing infrastructure in the years ahead. The steady state funding requirement for heavy rail, through the Infrastructure Manager Multi-Annual Contract, and buses has been met in 2019, while we will be investing the required level of funding into national, regional and local roads by 2021.

I have referred your question to TII and the NTA for a direct reply in relation to steady state expenditure on national roads and Luas in the period 2017 to 2020. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.