Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2019
134. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance the projected budgetary impact of the national broadband plan from 2019 to 2024, or the latest available date; and the estimated way in which this will impact the gross general Government balance in each affected year and as a percentage of GDP and GNI, in tabular form. [21819/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's decision to proceed with the National Broadband Plan (NBP) was taken on the basis that additional expenditure required beyond that allocated within the National Development Plan (NDP) framework will be funded by future revenues and will accordingly not have funding repercussions for other planned projects within the NDP.
Based on preliminary assessments, current indications are that no additional budgetary impact is envisaged for 2019 or 2020, while the NBP will require c. €200m in additional funding in 2021 and 2022 and c. €300m in 2023. All else being equal, this will result in a corresponding deterioration in the general government balance of approximately 0.1 per cent of both GDP and GNI* on an annual basis as compared with the projections published as part of the Stability Programme Update 2019.
As the Deputy will be aware, projections for general government revenue and expenditure beyond 2023 have not been compiled by my Department.
