Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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482.To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide a breakdown of the moneys Ireland has received to date from the EU recovery and resilience facility; the distribution of the grants received to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31869/24]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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NextGenerationEU is the EU’s temporary recovery instrument to support Europe’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and build a greener, more digital and more resilient future. The centrepiece of NextGenerationEU is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) - an instrument that offers grants and loans to support reforms and investments in the EU Member States. RRF funds are being provided to Member States in line with their National Recovery and Resilience plans (NRRP) – the roadmaps to reforms and investments aimed to make EU economies greener, digital and more resilient.

Following the Commission’s positive assessment of Ireland’s modified plan including the REPowerEU chapter, Ireland’s NRRP is now worth €1.15 billion in grants over the lifetime of the RRF.

It is important to note that the RRF is a performance-based instrument with payment contingent on the achievement of milestones and targets. The projects in the NRRP are pre-funded through the estimates processes; the RRF monies from the EU are lodged to the Exchequer. There are five payment instalments.

Ireland’s first payment request for €324m has been approved by the Commission, with the funds disbursed to the Exchequer on 11 July. This corresponds to 28% of all the funds in the revised Irish plan, with 40 or 34% of all the milestones and targets satisfactorily completed.

This request covered 35 milestones and 5 targets, including investments in jobs and skills through the Recovery Skills response programme, the commencement of retrofit works under the Public Sector Buildings' Energy Retrofit Programme, the signature of the contract for the building of the Government data centre, the connection of schools to the broadband network and work to enable the future electrification of public transport in Cork.

The payment request also includes a series of reforms including on climate action, addressing the digital divide through a new digital strategy for schools and providing disadvantaged students with ICT equipment, reducing regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship by introducing an ‘SME test’ for new legislation and on tax, pension, housing and pension reform.