Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Agreeing the budget is a complex, iterative process and is subject to an intensive period of joint consultation and negotiation between the Minister for Transport and Departmental officials and the counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPENDR).

As the Revised Estimates are not yet published and the budget process will not conclude until their publication, it would be premature of the Department to release figures on the initial request for funding and the final revised allocations for 2024. Upon publication of the Revised Estimates, the Department will be in a position to provide relevant information on the final position.

In the meantime I can confirm that the Department sought an initial €698 million in current expenditure for 2024 to maintain its existing levels of service, on the basis that €204 million of funding in 2023 was categorised as non-core expenditure. The Department sought an additional €28.8 million for forecast pressures on existing levels of service, with a separate application for Public Service Obligation funding, much of which sought to retain existing fare discounts. The main funding requirements were estimates around the contracted costs for delivery of Coast Guard services, core and rural land transport services, as well as a number of other, smaller, administrative costs.

The budget settlement saw additional funds being allocated to the Coast Guard, rural transport, core PSO and €150 million for retention of existing discounts on fares.

My Department is generally satisfied with the budget for both current and capital entering 2024, given the other cross-Government pressures, and will continue to work closely with DPENDR as well as agencies under its remit to monitor the budget as well as external factors that may impinge on the budget, which can range from inflationary pressures, to demand for services, or unexpected events for which it is not easy to plan, such as further developments relating to cost-of-living or major winter storms.

A priority for us, in our next set of engagements with DPENDR, will be to secure such additional funding as may be forthcoming from the reserve fund to ensure that the National Development Plans continue to be progressed and expended upon, notwithstanding inflationary pressures. We look forward to positive engagement with DPENDR to deliver on this Government priority.