Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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401. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of times he has met with the new strategic infrastructure unit in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation since its inception; to provide a breakdown of Departments and agencies that were present at each meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27672/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing Activation Office (HAO) and the recently established new Infrastructure Division in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation respond to separate commitments in the Programme for Government.

The HAO will identify and seek to address barriers to the delivery of public infrastructure projects required to enable housing development through alignment of funding and coordination of infrastructure providers. The Office will focus on the delivery of infrastructure needed at a local level to support housing delivery, including social and community infrastructure needed to support the development of sustainable communities.

The new Infrastructure Division will focus on reforms to address barriers to delivery of strategic infrastructure. The Division will lead an evidenced based assessment of the steps involved in delivering critical State infrastructure and barriers impeding timely infrastructure development. This will inform an Action Plan of reform measures.

The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and I engage regularly in relation to this and other matters. There is also regular engagement between Officials in the HAO and the new Infrastructure Division through scheduled engagements.