Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
71. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for an overview of the progress to date under national strategic outcome No. 2 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30987/23]
View answerThe Government has committed €165 billion funding for capital investment, as set out in the NDP published in October 2021. This expenditure was considered and agreed in order to support those sectors that would be key in delivering the ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) identified in the National Planning Framework (NPF).
The NDP contains expenditure commitments for a range of strategic investment priorities which will contribute towards the achievement of these NSOs, including NSO 2 which relates to Enhanced Regional Accessibility.
This strategic outcome seeks to enhance intra-regional accessibility through improved transport links between key urban centres of population and their respective regions, as well as improving transport links between the regions. The Government is investing in active travel, bus, rail and road projects across the country to deliver on this strategic outcome. The NDP provides funding of €35 billion for transport infrastructure over the next ten years. Among the projects recently completed were the N5 Westport to Turlough road. This road will enable economic development in the West of Ireland, while greatly enhancing connectivity within the region, as well as improving the link between the midlands and the West of Ireland. Other regional transport projects under construction are the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom road and the M8/N25 Dunkettle Interchange.
The maintenance and renewal of the rail network is also a focus of this strategic outcome. The NTA and Iarnród Eireann have ordered 41 Inter-City Railcars (ICRs) which are entering service and will further enhance and expand the rail fleet. Construction of the National Train Control Centre was completed in November 2022 and will be a key enabler for the expansion of rail services as it will enhance rail traffic management and will underpin both the planned and potential future expansion of rail services across the network.
The Government is committed to detailing progress on the delivery of the NDP at regular intervals into the future to allow for full transparency of the implementation of Project Ireland 2040. This is achieved through regular updates of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and MyProjectIreland interactive map viewer which list projects and programmes on a regional and county level. These datasets list the stage of the project lifecycle from strategic assessment to completion, thereby allowing users to see what projects are planned, in construction or completed for each county and region.
The capital tracker and interactive map are key tools in overseeing the progress of Project Ireland 2040. The latest editions of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and interactive map, were published on the gov.ie website in February 2023. The tracker includes comprehensive details on almost 320 large scale projects and 140 individual programmes, while the interactive map database includes an overview of 1,240 individual projects.
