Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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National Strategic Objective (NSO) 4 relates to Sustainable Mobility. While many of the projects under this strategic objective take a number of years to deliver fully, 2022 saw clear progress in the delivery of some key projects. BusConnects recently added 3 more spines linking West Dublin with Kildare. Proposals on BusConnects Cork network were published by the National Transport Authority in June. Galway City Council also submitted a planning application to An Bord Pleanála for the Galway Cross-City Link through Galway City Centre.

The Next Generation Ticketing (NGT) is another important element of the plan to improve bus services across the State. Next Generation Ticketing involves the upgrade of fares and ticketing systems across bus services in Dublin. The National Transport Authority hopes to award this contract by end-2023.

172 new buses for PSO bus fleets were delivered in 2022, which included 107 fully electric vehicles and 24 hybrids. The Railway Order for DART+ West was submitted in July and the Government approved an initial order of 95 new carriages (65 battery-electric and 30 electric units). In addition, in November of last year, the Government approved a further order for 90 new battery-electric carriages.

In relation to new Dart+ routes the first non-statutory consultation on DART+ Coastal South was conducted in Q1 2023, and the second non-statutory consultation on DART+ Coastal North is currently ongoing.

Furthermore, the new National Train Control Centre was completed in 2022. This will underpin both the planned and potential future expansion of rail services across the entire rail network. I am also aware that an additional, 41 Inter-City Railcars have been ordered, delivery of which commenced in 2022. These are expected to come into service during the year.

Finally, I would note that the National Transport Authority through its Active Travel Unit supported over 1,000 individual walking and cycling infrastructure projects in 2022. Local authorities delivered over 25km of new or upgraded cycle facilities and around 153km of new or upgraded footpaths through this programme.

I am aware that very significant progress was made by local authorities over the last number of years to align their respective city and county development plans with the National Planning Framework. This will help to ensure that our local authorities are delivering on sustainable mobility in line with the national and regional policies.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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51. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the estimated cumulative value of the investments to be made in counties Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford and Waterford, respectively, under the timeframe of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; the estimated funding drawdown to date in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30906/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level. Individual projects are selected based on a detailed process which begins with Departments or Agencies setting their own sectoral strategy and goals in line with the National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Planning Framework (NPF). The responsibility for the management and delivery of these investment projects, within the allocations agreed under the NDP, rests with the individual sponsoring Department. Expenditure is therefore allocated and monitored on a Departmental basis and not on a geographic basis.

The Government has committed €165 billion funding for capital investment, as set out in the NDP published in October 2021. The NDP includes indicative Exchequer allocations for each Department for a five year period (2021 to 2025) and the overall capital expenditure ceilings out to 2030. This expenditure was considered and agreed in order to support those sectors that would be key in delivering the ten National Strategic Outcomes identified in the National Planning Framework (NPF). The NDP contains expenditure commitments for a range of strategic investment priorities which have been determined by the relevant Departments as central to the delivery of the National Planning Framework vision.

In 2023, over €12 billion will be made available from the Exchequer for investment in public capital projects. This will provide more schools, homes, hospitals and other pieces of vital infrastructure. This level of expenditure will be pivotal in consolidating the progress already made, supporting balanced regional development and, delivering the necessary infrastructure to support our future climate change obligations as well as our social and economic requirements.

The Government will continue to detail the delivery of the NDP at regular intervals into the future to allow for full transparency on the implementation of Project Ireland 2040. This will be achieved through regular updates of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and map, as well as the publication of annual reports and regional reports highlighting Project Ireland 2040 achievements and giving a detailed overview of the public investments which have been made throughout the country.

The capital investment tracker provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million. Accompanying the tracker, the myProjectIreland interactive map details projects across the country and provides details on specific projects by county, including counties Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford and Waterford, and contains smaller investments such as schools and social housing projects. Search facilities also allow citizens to view projects in their regional area, by city, by county or by eircode.

In addition, Regional Reports on the implementation of Project Ireland 2040 in the three Regional Assembly areas have been published annually since 2018 with an update for 2022 scheduled to be published in the coming weeks. The reports set out the regional projects and programmes, which are being planned and delivered in the Southern Region, including in counties Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford and Waterford, as part of the public investment detailed in Project Ireland 2040. While the reports do not provide an exhaustive list of all public capital expenditure, they serve to highlight the diverse range of investments being made by the State under Project Ireland 2040 in the region.

The Project Ireland 2040 Regional Reports, capital investment tracker and myProjectIreland interactive map are all available on gov.ie/2040.