Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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1374. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when updated capital allocations for national cultural institutions will be published in the context of the ongoing review of the National Development Plan; if priority works, including conservation, accessibility and digitisation, have been identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43398/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government set out a review of the National Development Plan as a key priority to enhance the delivery of transformative, critical and growth-enhancing infrastructure over the next five years. The updated NDP which was published on 22 July, features annual sectoral capital allocations from 2026 to 2030, and overall capital expenditure ceilings to 2035. This leads to a total investment of €275.4 billion over 2026-2035. The total provision for this Department following the review for the period 2026-2030 is €2.22bn.

Over the coming months, Ministers will set out their priority programmes and projects within their capital allocations. A clear focus will be on providing greater certainty on the projects and programmes that will advance and get delivered in the next five years, with realistic timelines and budgets.

My Department is continuing to work with the National Cultural Institutions and the OPW to deliver an ambitious programme of flagship projects under the NDP that will redevelop and future proof the Institutions for generations to come. These projects often involve the redevelopment of city-centre heritage buildings, a challenging undertaking by its very nature. The development of such complex projects is based on a thorough business case process, a detailed design and the input of specialist expertise. Work is ongoing on all projects in the Department’s NDP portfolio, they are all at various stages of project life cycle of the Infrastructure Guidelines.

My Department will also continue to consider individual proposals from the National Cultural Institutions for other requests for capital funding to support acquisition of items of historical or artistic significance, or to support projects that enhance the capacity of the National Cultural Institutions with regard to conservation of items in their care, or to improve accessibility for in-person visitors or via digital means. Any proposals of this type are considered on their respective merits but also in the context of there being sufficient flexibility in the overall budget for capital funding.