Written answers
Tuesday, 4 March 2025
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
Departmental Data
Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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144. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the transportation infrastructure projects being delivered by his Department which are currently delayed or over budget. [9270/25]
Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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151. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount spent by his Department on transportation infrastructure in each of Dublin, Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster, in each of the past ten years. [9271/25]
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 151 together.
As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to transport, which supports the delivery of transport infrastructure projects across Ireland.
The Deputy may wish to note that capital and current allocations from my Department are allocated on a programmatic basis, rather than by region. The existing Budget Programmes include:
- Sustainable Mobility – Active Travel and Greenways
- Sustainable Mobility – Public Transport
- Road Networks and Road Safety
- Maritime Transport and Safety
- Information Technology, Engagement and Research Delivery
- Civil Aviation
In addition, the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform’s annually published Public Service Performance Report sets out the Department’s expenditure with reference to outputs and outcomes across a range of metrics for each expenditure programme.
The out-turn compared to budget as set out in the Appropriation Accounts for transport shows that the Department’s expenditure is broadly in line with its annual budget. In recent years, the average underspend has been circa 5%, peaking at just over 6% in 2021, and falling as a share of overall expenditure in each subsequent year. The resulting annual carry-forward of the small underspend in the annual capital budget has been more or less fully expended each year.
The Department is currently providing Exchequer funding towards capital projects at Regional and Regional State airports through the Regional Airports Programme and Regional State Airports Sustainability Programme. However, the Department are not responsible for delivering of transportation infrastructure projects in the Aviation sector. The responsibility of delivery of such projects falls under the remit of the airports themselves.
As the Deputy will also be aware, a large proportion of transport infrastructure projects funded by my Department across national roads, public transport, active travel and greenways are being delivered by agencies under my Department such as the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Iarnród Éireann also have responsibility for the maintenance, renewal and operation of the rail network and stations on the network. Noting the role of the NTA, IÉ and TII in these matters, I have referred your question to those agencies for a more detailed answer, concerning the performance of individual projects against budget. If you do not receive a reply within 10 working days, please contact my private office.
With reference to investment at a regional level, the Deputy may also wish to consult the annually published Project Ireland 2040 Regional Assembly reports, which contain detailed information on investment in each of the Southern, Eastern and Border and Midland Regions.
Finally, the Deputy may also wish refer to the Project Ireland 2040 Tracker where updates on the progress of a range Transport projects under the National Development Plan across Ireland can be found:
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