I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 122, 150 and 157 together.
On 28 May 2021 Ireland’s draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan was approved by the Government and submitted to the European Commission. It will now be assessed by the Commission which will, within two months, make a recommendation to the Council of the European Union, on the basis of which implementation of the Plan will commence and EU financial support will start to flow.
On 1 June 2021 I published an overview of the draft Plan setting out details of the sixteen investment projects and nine reform measures it contains. Individual Ministers across Government will be responsible for the different investments.
The overall objective of the NRRP is to contribute to a sustainable, equitable, green and digital recovery, in a manner that complements and supports the Government’s broader recovery efforts.
Reflecting the requirements of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, Ireland’s Plan has a particular focus on green and digital transition, as well as supporting economic recovery and job creation.
The NRRP is aligned with the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan and has been developed, in particular insofar as identification of investments is concerned, alongside the ongoing review of the National Development Plan.
The Plan has a total value of around €1 billion and includes a suite of projects and measures under three priority headings.
Reflecting our strong national commitment to addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis, Priority 1 sees investments with a total value of €531 million to address the green transition.
The importance of the digital transition for Ireland and Europe in the coming decade is reflected in Priority 2 which includes projects with a total value of €295 million aimed at accelerating and expanding digital reforms and transformation.
Finally, Priority 3 has a total value of €181 million and includes projects and measures to tackle social and economic recovery and job creation with a strong focus on supporting people’s return to work and preparing for the challenges of the future, including the work placement experience programme mentioned by Deputy Nash which is being advanced by my colleague the Minister for Social Protection.