Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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270. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he accepts that it is critical the State moves to multi-annual budget envelopes for key infrastructure projects and delivery bodies given that a growing number of major infrastructure projects under the current NDP have been delayed in recent times for lack of relatively small amounts of funding to move through the approvals process; if he supports the idea that State Bodies delivering those projects must be given multi-annual funding envelopes, so that projects are not reliant on new approvals each fiscal year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52659/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Development Plan (NDP) Review 2025 was published in July and is the largest ever capital injection 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. For each sector, specific 5-year multiannual ceilings have been provided out to 2030 to allow sectors to plan and provide multiannual allocations for projects and programmes.

In addition, for critical infrastructure sectors of Energy, Water and Transport, a further €10bn in equity and fund releases is being provided for megaprojects in water, energy and transport. This funding is being provided to give even greater levels of certainty to these agencies that key megaprojects can be supported and are not in competition with other worthwhile projects that the sector has to deliver. This brings the total additional capital investment to €33.9bn for the period to 2030.

With certainty on 5-year sectoral capital allocation, it is the responsibility of each Minister and their Departments to prioritise projects and programmes and ensure they can support these projects to delivery, including through multiannual certainty in funding.

Government Ministers and their officials are currently developing their sectoral plans of capital projects and programmes to be prioritised over the next five years, according to the agreed sectoral capital allocations for 2026 to 2030, with a clear focus on value for money and delivery. It is anticipated that the sectoral plans will be published in November 2025.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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271. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the additional funding that will be needed in the coming years to align our underpinning infrastructure with national targets for housing and industry and to deliver critical national infrastructure such as the Water Supply Project Eastern & Midlands Region and the Greater Dublin Drainage Project; if this will need to be in the region of a capital funding addition of €250 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52656/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The necessity of investment in critical infrastructure to allow for the further delivery of housing and to support international competitiveness was the core objective of the recently published NDP review in July 2025. The review specific targets the critical sectors of Energy, Water and Transport as the sectors on which all further development is dependent. Within these sectors, special provision has also been granted for transformational projects such as the two your question identifies and the Metrolink project. In total, the Government has provided €275.4 billion of capital funding for the next decade.

Of the €275.4 billion to be invested to 2035, €202.4 billion is Exchequer Voted Capital expenditure, with an initial €102.4 billion allocated by sector to Departments for 2026 to 2030 as part of Exchequer ceilings within the NDP. This reflects an increase of over €24 billion relative to the previous planned NDP ceilings for those years.

In addition to the significant Exchequer allocations, non-voted funding sources will also enable Government to invest an additional €10 billion in equity, to be released over the period 2026 to 2030.

• €3.5 billion in equity funding is being allocated from the Central Fund to be drawn down by ESB and EirGrid to fund enhanced energy grid capacity to support the Government’s housing and competitiveness objectives. This investment will be used to raise additional finance that will multiply the investment this additional equity can support.

• €2 billion in equity funding is being provided to Uisce Éireann in 2025 to enable the delivery of additional homes and a further €2.5 billion will be provided to Uisce Éireann for large scale water infrastructure projects over the period to 2030.

• €2 billion will be released from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to support low-carbon transport investment and will provide a dedicated funding stream for the MetroLink project.

This is the most ambitious capital investment programme ever launched by the State. It will invest unprecedented amounts in critical infrastructure across housing, water, energy and transport, transforming the country for this and future generations.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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272. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to ensure that projects identified in the National Development Plan or those that can demonstrate their contribution to meeting national strategic objectives under the National Planning Framework must be prioritised in the planning system; if he will support calls for Government to immediately issue Ministerial Directions to An Bord Pleanála/An Coimisiún Pleanála to prioritise underpinning infrastructure such as critical utilities infrastructure where delays in the delivery of those projects risk undermining other project delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52661/25]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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273. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for an update on Programme for Government commitments to transforming the delivery of infrastructure including the delivery of a new Infrastructure Division within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52662/25]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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274. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide an update the work of Public Service Reform and Digitalisation that has been established; if expertise has been seconded from key delivery agencies; if the National Development Finance Agency has provided Departments with additional expert assistance and support on major public capital investment projects through dedicated support teams for specific projects referred to it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52663/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 274, inclusive, together.

As per the Programme for Government, a new Infrastructure Division has been established in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This Division, led by a Deputy Secretary General, is focused on how the provision of critical infrastructure can be accelerated. The Division is staffed by a combination of experienced civil servants and sectoral experts with first-hand experience of infrastructure delivery who were redeployed at the beginning of May from key state agencies.

Already, the new Division has conducted extensive public and stakeholder engagement to determine how the provision of infrastructure can be accelerated. Arising from that consultation and research conducted in parallel, my Department published a report on the most pressing barriers to infrastructure delivery in July. This identified twelve specific areas for reform across the regulatory environment, planning and legal systems, and systems internal to Government. The Infrastructure Division, supported by the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, are currently drafting a Final Report and Action Plan for Government approval. I expect to bring this report to Government in November. 

Within this action plan will be a set of targeted, high impact actions that will aim to speed up the development of critical infrastructure by addressing the identified barriers. It will make the positive case for why our structures to deliver infrastructure need to be reformed and the benefits this will bring for all.  Policy in relation to An Coimisiún Pleanála is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

In the interim, some reforms have already been introduced. As part of the National Development Plan review, a €275 billion investment programme has been announced for the period 2026–2035, including €10 billion in additional funding specifically targeted at electricity, water, and transport infrastructure. In addition, sectoral investment plans are being developed by Departments to support clearer prioritisation and to provide realistic pipelines for industry. The NDP also provided funding certainty for strategic projects such as MetroLink, the Greater Dublin Drainage Scheme, and the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project.

Finally, the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) will assume a new role, offering project management, procurement, planning, commercial and financial expertise to support Departments and Agencies in the development of major projects. Updated Ministerial Guidelines will be issued shortly to the NDFA by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services Reform and Digitalisation and the Department of Finance in respect of this broadened remit.