Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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372. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the new infrastructure delivery unit will publish regional breakdowns of NDP expenditure and project delivery status, specifically in respect of Cork; and if he will make such reporting publicly available on a quarterly basis. [48389/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the budgetary process each year, my Department sets overall expenditure ceilings for each Ministerial Vote Group. These are laid out at Vote level in the Budget day Expenditure Report published in October with further detail provided in the Revised Estimates for Public Services published in December.

Following the allocation of each Ministerial Expenditure Ceiling, it is a matter for each Minister to assign funding as appropriate at programme and subhead level for their Departments and the agencies under their remit taking into account the demands for services in different areas and regions, having regard to demographics and other relevant factors. Within this process, both current and capital expenditure are allocated on a Departmental basis and not a geographic basis.

More broadly, the achievement of balanced regional development is a key priority of this Government and is at the heart of Project Ireland 2040, which includes the National Planning Framework (NPF), which sets out the overarching spatial strategy for the next twenty years, along with the National Development Plan.

The NDP Review 2025 was published on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, in line with the Programme for Government commitment.

Over the coming months, individual Ministers will develop their sectoral plans, for priority investment programmes and projects within their additional capital allocations for delivery across the country. Considering sectoral needs and Ministerial decisions, these plans will reflect Government priorities, including the National Planning Framework commitment to balanced regional development.

Progress in achieving balanced regional development and detailing the delivery of the NDP is monitored through regular updates of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and MyProjectIreland interactive map viewer. The capital investment tracker provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million. Accompanying the tracker, the MyProjectIreland interactive map details projects across the country and provides details on specific projects by county, and contains smaller investments such as schools, healthcare facilities and social housing projects. Search facilities allow users to view projects in their regional area, by city, by county or by eircode.

In addition my Department also publishes the Project Ireland 2040 Annual Report and Regional Reports highlighting achievements and giving a detailed overview of the public investments that have been made throughout the country, including in Cork. Projects in Cork to date include upgrading the Dunkettle interchange, investment in the greenway from Mallow to Dungarvan and investment in a wide range of community facilities, schools and health services. These and other Project Ireland 2040 related documents can be found at www.gov.ie/2040.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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373. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has assessed the risk of over-centralisation of NDP investment in Dublin; and whether safeguards have been introduced to ensure balanced development across all three regions of Ireland. [48390/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Development Plan Review 2025 was published in July and represents one of the largest ever and most significant capital injections in our economy in the history of the State. The Review sets out a total public capital investment of €275.4bn over the period to 2035.

This comprises €202.4bn in Exchequer Voted capital expenditure from 2026 to 2035. Of this, €102.4bn is being allocated for the next five years – an additional €23.9bn on what was previously allocated in the NDP. A further €10bn in equity and fund releases is being provided for megaprojects in water, energy and transport. This brings the total additional capital investment to €33.9bn for the period to 2030.

Following the agreement of annual sectoral capital allocations from 2026 to 2030, Government Ministers and their officials are developing sectoral plans of the capital projects and programmes to be prioritised over the next five years. In developing these plans, Departments will be required to consider alignment with the National Planning Framework. The National Planning Framework, revised in April 2025, is Ireland's long-term strategy for strategic planning and sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040, with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable ‘compact growth’ approach to the form and pattern of future development.

The National Planning Framework, together with the National Development Plan, combine to form Project Ireland 2040, the overarching planning and investment framework for the social, economic and cultural development of Ireland.