Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

53. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to outline all capital investments, if any made by his Department in the constituency of Louth East Meath since 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45405/24]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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. The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects or sectoral policy strategies, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan (NDP), rests with the individual sponsoring Department in each case. Each Minister is responsible for deciding on the priority programmes and projects that will be delivered under their remit within the NDP and for setting out the timelines for delivery. Expenditure is therefore allocated and monitored on a Departmental basis and not a geographical basis.

The Government committed €165 billion towards capital investment through the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-30 published in 2021. An additional €2.25 billion of windfall corporate tax receipts has also been allocated from 2024 to 2026, to provide funding for critical infrastructure projects that are at an advanced stage, as well as to the existing Climate Action Fund. This builds on the existing funding already available under the NDP out to 2026 and it will mean more schools, housing, transport and healthcare projects can be progressed and delivered for our people across all regions.

In Budget 2025, almost €15 billion is being made available from the Exchequer for investment in public capital projects. This level of expenditure will be pivotal in consolidating the progress already made, supporting balanced regional development and, most importantly, delivering the necessary infrastructure to support our future climate change obligations as well as our social and economic requirements.

In addition, the recent disposal of part of the State’s shareholding in AIB provides an opportunity to allocate additional funding of €3 billion towards capital spending over the coming years. This will help build on progress already made, eliminating key infrastructural bottlenecks more rapidly, and lead to further improvements in living standards and competitiveness.

The Government is detailing the delivery of the NDP at regular intervals to inform the public on the implementation of Project Ireland 2040. This is 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. These reports give a detailed overview of the public investments which have been made throughout the country, including in Louth and the Meath East constituency.

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, 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. It should be noted that projects and programmes listed on the capital tracker that span counties and Regional Assembly areas are recorded under a heading of “National”. Therefore, searching for projects by county or Regional Assembly area may not give a full picture of all the projects being developed in a particular region and the projects listed under the National heading should also be taken into account e.g. the National Broadband Plan rollout.

Some examples of projects planned or delivered under the NDP in the Louth and Meath East area since 2020 include:

• O'Carolan College, Nobber, Co Meath - a 575 pupil post primary school plus SEN provision;
• Coláiste na Mí, Navan, Co. Meath - an extension to accommodate 650 pupils and a new PE Hall;
• St Mary's Special School, Navan, Co. Meath - a new 12 classroom school on campus with Coláiste na Mí;
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co. Louth (Phases 2-4);
• Social Housing: Mount Avenue, Dundalk, Co. Louth;
• Social Housing: Boice Court, Drogheda, Co. Louth;
• Social Housing: Ballymakenny West, Drogheda, Co. Louth;
• The Drogheda and Dundalk water supply scheme
• Ardee by-pass, Co. Louth.