Michael Moynihan
Ceist:8. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Taoiseach if a meeting of Cabinet committee D, infrastructure, which deals with climate change was held on 31 January 2019. [6295/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 20 February 2019
Ceisteanna (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:9. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when Cabinet committee D, infrastructure, last met; and when it is scheduled to meet again. [7984/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Joan Burton
Ceist:10. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Taoiseach when Cabinet committee D, infrastructure, last met; and when it will meet again. [8084/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Brendan Howlin
Ceist:11. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Taoiseach if Cabinet committee D, infrastructure, met on 31 January 2019. [8225/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:12. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee D, infrastructure, will next meet. [8379/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (11 píosaí cainte)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together.
Cabinet committee D works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the delivery and ongoing development of policy on infrastructure investment and delivery, housing and climate action. The committee last met on 31 January and the date for the next meeting is to be scheduled.
Significant work is under way across each of the areas covered by the committee through Government Departments and agencies and a range of interdepartmental groups such as the climate action high level steering group and the Project Ireland 2040 delivery board. In addition, these matters are regularly considered at meetings of Government and in bilateral meetings with the Ministers responsible for the issues.
Significant progress is being made on the implementation and delivery of Project Ireland 2040. Through the National Planning Framework, it sets out our strategic 20-year vision for Ireland’s future, balancing rural and urban development and linking it with capital investment of €116 billion over ten years to meet the infrastructural needs of our growing population. The four funds launched under Project Ireland 2040 have a total of €4 billion to invest across the areas of rural and urban regeneration and development, climate action and disruptive technologies innovation. The first round of funding allocations under these funds, amounting to €276 million, was announced last year. These funds will leverage further private sector investment in innovative and targeted projects that deliver on the aims of Project Ireland 2040.
The Land Development Agency, another cornerstone initiative of Project Ireland 2040, was established on an interim basis in September and is working to ensure the optimum management of State land through strategic development and regeneration with an immediate focus on providing new homes, including social and affordable housing. Housing continues to be a priority for the Government and we have seen strong growth in housing completions and in leading indicators such as planning permissions, commencement notices and housing registration. Last year, over 18,000 new homes were built, an increase of 25% on the previous year. More than 2,500 homes were brought out of long-term vacancy and almost 800 dwellings in unfinished estates were completed, meaning the number of new homes available for use increased by more than 21,000 last year. This does not include student accommodation. There was also strong delivery of publicly-funded social housing in 2018, with over 27,000 new households having their housing needs met.
We are aware of the significant challenge in meeting housing demand and tackling the ongoing issues in the housing market. For this reason, budget 2019 provided an increase of 25% in the housing budget. Delivering on our EU climate commitments for 2030 and transitioning to a competitive, low carbon, sustainable economy by 2050 are also policies. We are investing €22 billion in climate action through the national development plan to ensure that our future growth is regionally balanced and environmentally sustainable. Budget 2019 provided for a range of measures to lower carbon emissions and improve sustainability, including more than €200 million for agri-environmental actions through the rural development programme and over €164 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is currently preparing an all-of-Government action plan on climate disruption and is working with colleagues across Government to develop new initiatives across electricity, transport, agriculture and other relevant sectors. The action plan will build on progress to date and set out the steps which must be taken to make Ireland a leader in responding to climate change.
Yesterday, the Taoiseach said that Deputies should go and look at the updates on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's website if we want to know what is happening with national development plan, NDP, projects. He said we would find up to the minute figures on the status and cost of all major projects. Unsurprisingly, this turns out not to be true. The only underspends noted on the site arise because some projects spent money before the start of the NDP but the Taoiseach wanted to claim that the full project cost was part of the NDP. Some others have money from other sources such as the European Investment Bank and the Taoiseach wanted to include other people's contributions as part of the Government's advertising. The spreadsheet is a very good reminder of how many of the advertised projects are not planned and will not begin during the life of this Dáil, the next Dáil and probably the one after that.
The more serious point is that, as suspected, nothing has been done to address the significant overspend on the national children's hospital. The spreadsheet projects the overall cost of the project to be €916 million. No alteration has been made to the costings of other major health capital projects. If the health construction inflation, new safety rules and technology requirements which hit the national children's hospital happen for the other projects, since most of these costs will apply, it could undermine the ability to deliver at least 1,000 acute hospital beds. The Taoiseach said the public has a right to know about these projects so surely it has a right to have updates of information which was advertised last year. When will the Taoiseach update the claims he made about what will be delivered under the health provisions of the NDP? When will he outline the impact of the NDP projects on our carbon footprint? When will calculations be made of how it contributes to or detracts from climate change objectives?
Project Ireland 2040 recognises the importance of cross-Border co-operation and investment in developing the Border corridor, specifically the Donegal and Derry region. Derry and Strabane District Council has in place an ambitious, inclusive strategic growth plan and, as part of the plan, the council is trying to secure a city deal for the region from the British Government. Its plan also envisages financial contributions from the Taoiseach's Government and the European Union for a number of key strategic projects that would benefit the entire north-west region. We are talking about vital projects that will help to unlock the economic potential of Derry and Donegal, such as the expansion of Magee university and the development of the Greencastle cruise berth. This is about putting meat on the bones of the very welcome inclusion of the north west in Project Ireland 2040. Will the Taoiseach indicate if discussions in this regard are taking place in Departments and, if so, what stage are those discussions at?
With the omnishambles of the children's hospital that the Taoiseach and Minister for Health are presiding over, will the Taoiseach tell us how we get a list of the reprofiled projects and spending as a consequence of the savings that he acknowledged have to be made? He brushed them aside by saying it is a mere €100 million. What is €100 million between friends? It is a lot of money and we have not yet seen a list and full-time schedule of these reprofiled amounts. I and everybody else knows that €20 million delayed now will be carried from this year to next year and climb as time passes. The Government has no control over public expenditure. The Taoiseach inherited a very good situation from the previous, outgoing Government and the current Government is like people in charge of a runaway train. Will the Taoiseach tell us what will happen with the National Maternity Hospital? That is only €300 million if we can believe that. What is happening with that? I have no idea. What is happening with the Coombe women's hospital? People would just like a hospital fit for modern purposes and we have no idea what is happening. Will the Taoiseach give us information on really important projects in the life of this country?
I will take up the same theme. In light of the children's hospital debacle, have all major capital programmes been reprofiled so that we can have a real, verifiable costing for the major projects, some of which have been outlined by my colleague, Deputy Burton? They have all been set out to be done. Will these be delivered and can we afford to continue with all of them? I will make one point as somebody who was responsible for public spending for five years about the notion that one can save €100 million this year without saving any money. If one has to save €100 million in cash, that is €100 million that one cannot spend. Some €100 million extra is going to the children's hospital. Last week, the Taoiseach told me that he does not need the Revised Estimates at all and can vire money. Since then, wiser counsel has prevailed and Revised Estimates will be presented today.
Some €65 million in additional money is being added to the Department of Health's capital programme to meet the €100 million requirement and it has to find €35 million itself. We can use words such as reprofiling but this involves real cash savings. It is reasonable for us to ask what projects will deliver the €35 million in cash in the Department of Health in 2019. What projects will deliver the €65 million being transferred into the Department of Health from other Departments?
The most elementary infrastructure necessary for the maintenance of society and the existence of humanity is our natural environment. The Taoiseach’s highly disingenuous response to Deputy Bríd Smith earlier about her climate emergency Bill, which is trying to stop the extraction of further fossil fuels was not very heartening in respect of his attitude to this. I do not know whether he heard George Lee on RTÉ today chatting to Pádraic Fogarty of the Irish Wildlife Trust. The headline on the item was that Irish nature is collapsing. He went on to describe how 100 of our plants and animals are already extinct and another third of our species are under very serious threat. He spoke about the deterioration of water quality, the extremely precarious situation of forestry, wildlife and so on and the fact that the Irish Greyhound Board gets as much money annually as the National Parks and Wildlife Service. They even talked about a beautiful forest in Enniskerry - the Taoiseach should go and walk there - Knocksink Wood, where the environmental education centre is sitting there, empty and derelict, because of Government cuts. This is typical of the Government's attitude to environmental issues.
Rather than slagging off the left, which is actually trying to do something about it, as the Taoiseach did earlier today, why does he not actually do something to address these issues, like deal with afforestation, fund the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and indeed, support our Bill to cease fossil fuel extraction?
I am glad that Deputy Micheál Martin took the time to study the website and spreadsheets. I have not done it myself for some time. It is clear that they are out of date and need to be updated and I will see to it that is done.
Yesterday the Taoiseach was adamant and certain that they were up to date.
Obviously I was wrong. I should have checked them. We will get them updated; they should be updated.
In respect of the impact Project Ireland 2040 and the national development plan, NDP, will have on climate change we estimate that implementing the NDP will get us approximately one third of the way to meeting our climate change targets. The rest will have to be met through measures such as carbon tax and changes to regulations and rules. The third will be achieved mainly through what is provided in the plan for retrofitting and insulating homes and public buildings, investment in renewable energy and in the electric vehicle charging infrastructures and afforestation. There is quite a considerable investment in afforestation, to answer Deputy Boyd Barrett's question.
Well below target.
Yes of course there are people who will argue that some aspects of the national development plan will contribute to climate change such as, for example, the expansion under way at our regional airports and at Dublin Airport, and the roads programme such as the construction of the motorway between Cork and Limerick. I would argue that we need to balance economic development and social need with climate action. It cannot be all climate action. We have to provide for jobs in the economy and for investment too. We have to take a holistic view of these things.
Derry and Letterkenny developing together as a city region is very much a feature of Project Ireland 2040. The Government has provided funding already to the North West Strategic Growth Partnership, which involves Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council. I have had an opportunity to engage with them and I imagine we will be able to provide additional funding in the future too. We would be very keen to continue to support the development of Derry working with Letterkenny as the region for the north west.
On the reprofiling of capital projects, or savings, whatever people want to call them, I am happy to clarify again, roughly €100 million has been reprofiled out of a capital budget this year of more than €7,000 million. We invest approximately €140 million a week in infrastructure and approximately €100 million of that €7,000 million has been reprofiled. Thankfully it did not require that any projects had to be delayed or paused. The money comes from a €25 million payment in respect of the A5 which we do not have to make this year because the project has not started although if it does start, we will make that payment. It also comes from a deferred payment relating to the forensic science laboratory of approximately €10 million while another €10 million is being provided from the Department of Education and Skills for the school at the new children's hospital. That has been brought forward and that explains the difference between the €35 million and the €25 million on health. I think €24 million of the €25 million specifically for health comes out of a fund that is there for refurbishments, minor capital works, replacing equipment and so on. That fund was €94 million but it is being reduced by €24 million to €70 million but that is still an increase on last year. There may well be plenty of projects and developments around the country that are delayed for one reason or another but none is delayed as a consequence of the national children's hospital, notwithstanding that people will claim otherwise.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Sitting suspended at 2.45 p.m. and resumed at 3.45 p.m.