Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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135. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the actions he and the Government are taking to improve the delivery of, and value for money in, infrastructure in the State. [27450/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In line with the commitments made in the Programme for Government, I recently announced a series of actions to accelerate the delivery of strategic infrastructure in Ireland, including the creation of a new Infrastructure Division in my Department.

This new Division will focus on accelerating infrastructure development, particularly in the electricity, water and transport sectors as this is the strategic infrastructure required to underpin the development of all of the other social and economic infrastructure we need to function as a society. It is also vital to enable the development of the 300,000 homes and to support our competitiveness.

The Infrastructure Division will initially focus on the preparation of a systematic, evidence-based assessment of the barriers impeding timely infrastructure development. To undertake this work, experts from key State agencies such as ESB Networks, EirGrid, Uisce Éireann, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and An Bord Pleanála have already been redeployed to my Department and are working with civil servants on this task.

Over the coming weeks, my Department will engage with key stakeholders to gather the evidence necessary to identify the most critical barriers to development. This will be combined with a public consultation that will be launched in June to gather views from a wide range of stakeholders. The team will also examine what reforms have been successfully introduced in other jurisdictions that may be applicable in Ireland.

I expect to provide a report to Government by the end of July on what have been identified as the most impactful barriers that are slowing infrastructure development. The results of this analysis will inform a focused Action Plan of high-impact reform measures that Government will consider for implementation.

To assist with my oversight of this work programme, I have created a new Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce. This taskforce is comprised of twelve members. Six independent experts, experienced in infrastructure delivery, combined with six ex-officio members, taken from those commercial semi-states at the frontline of infrastructure development and the local government sector. I will chair the taskforce which will meet monthly to review progress being made.

Securing value for money is an ongoing priority for this Government. Value for Money requirements are underpinned by legislation and supported by a set of rules, guidelines and frameworks. Achieving value for money continues to be the responsibility of everyone involved in overseeing the use of public funds. Its delivery is dependent on the clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the various structures across the system.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if profiled public expenditure is currently in line with expectations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27905/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2025, announced by Government last October, set-out a planned gross expenditure envelope of €105.4bn.

This funding has been provided to deliver on Government priorities and commitments, including continuing the delivery of a National Development Plan (NDP) which is providing the vital infrastructure we need to support our future economic and social progress.

This funding is also providing appropriate income supports for better outcomes in tackling poverty for children and families, people of working age, including jobseekers, people with disabilities, carers, and older people. It is providing for the opening of new hospital and community beds, additional funding for Older Persons Mental Health services and Social Inclusion, and additional training places to enhance capacity across the frontline workforce of our Health Service.

With regard to expenditure to date this year, the latest available expenditure figures were published in the Department of Finance’s Fiscal Monitor, on the 6^th of May. This release provides detail of the gross and net voted expenditure position to end-April, comparing the drawdown of funds to profiled (planned) monthly expenditure, and to the corresponding period last year. These are broken down by Vote group and into capital and current spending.

The End-April figures demonstrate sustained high levels of investment in the delivery of public services at this critical time for our economy and for global trade. Gross voted spending at-end April was €33.1bn; this was €3bn or 9.9% higher than the end-April position last year. Current spending was up 7.2% compared with April 2024, at €29.5bn, while capital spending was up 39.0% at €3.5bn.

Overall spending of €33.1 billion is in-line with the amount profiled by departments to be spent at this stage in the year. This increased investment reflects the priorities of Budget 2025 and this government’s commitment to deliver continued improvements in our infrastructure and enhance our existing public services to build for a stronger future.

The May Fiscal Monitor is due to be published on the 5^th of June, and will provide the latest in-year expenditure figures, with comparison given against the May expenditure profile and the May-2024 position. Managing the delivery of public services within budgetary allocations is a key responsibility of each Minister and their Department. My Department maintains regular communication with all Departments to ensure expenditure is managed within overall fiscal parameters.