Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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102. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to outline the major infrastructure projects that are planned for Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28254/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Balanced regional development is a key priority of this Government and is at the heart of Project Ireland 2040. The Government has committed €165 billion of funding for capital investment under the NDP 2021-30. An additional €2.25 billion was allocated in 2024 as part of an update to the NDP which set out revised capital ceilings from 2024 to 2026. In Budget 2025, almost €15 billion was made available from the Exchequer for investment in public capital projects along with €3 billion of funds from the sale of the State’s shareholding in AIB in June 2024. This level of expenditure is pivotal in consolidating the progress already made and in supporting balanced regional development to address key infrastructural bottlenecks more rapidly, and will lead to further improvements in living standards and competitiveness.

Since Project Ireland 2040 was first launched in 2018, the Government has overseen the delivery of many impactful NDP projects across the country, including in Cork. Major projects such as upgrading the Dunkettle interchange to a fully free flow junction, enhancing water quality through the Cork lower harbour main drainage project, and the remediation of Haulbowline island have all been delivered, along with numerous other projects in the housing, education and health sectors.

Additionally, the review of the National Development Plan currently underway will encompass all public capital investment and will utilise State funds to support increased capital investment levels in all regions.

Details of the main projects and programmes planned under the NDP in the Cork region include:

- the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme which represents the largest investment in the rail network in Cork undertaken by the State;

- BusConnects Cork - an investment programme to fundamentally transform the city bus systems, so that journeys for passengers by bus will be fast, reliable, punctual, convenient and affordable;

- the M20 Cork to Limerick road;

-the Cork City Docklands project;

-Cork University Hospital Paediatric Phase 2;

-N28 Cork to Ringaskiddy Road;

-N72/N73 Mallow Relief Road and

-Luas Cork.