Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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87. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of his Department’s work on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20398/21]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Work is well underway on preparing Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), which is required to access funding under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The Plan will set out the reforms and investments to be supported by the Facility.

The aim of the RRF is to mitigate the economic and social impact of the pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions.

Ireland is expected to receive €915 million in grants under the RRF in 2021 and 2022. A further set of grants is to be allocated in 2023, taking into account economic developments between now and then.

The Department of Public Expenditure & Reform, working together with the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Finance, the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment, the Department of Transport and the Department of the Environment, Climate & Communications, is responsible for preparing the Plan, with input from other Departments as necessary, and for ensuring coordination across Government.

The RRF is structured around six pillars: green transition; digital transformation; economic cohesion, productivity and competitiveness; social and territorial cohesion; health, economic, social and institutional resilience; policies for the next generation.

National plans must devote a minimum of 37% of expenditure to climate and 20% to digital investments and reforms.

They must strike a balance between reforms and investments and seek to address challenges identified in the relevant Country Specific Recommendations which arise as part of the European Semester process.

Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan will have a particular focus on: advancing the green transition; accelerating and expanding digital reforms and transformation; and social and economic recovery and job creation.

For 2021, Ireland’s National Reform Programme will be integrated into the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.