Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
2288. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of capital projects within the remit of his Department; the amount spent on each project to date; and the anticipated completion date. [34197/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraCapital expenditure in my Department comprises, in the main, grant funding for sustainable energy programmes administered by the SEAI and for energy research, operational funding for the Department and Agencies under its remit, as well as grant funding to Local Authorities under the landfill remediation scheme.
Within the Department, capital projects are delivered primarily in the Communications and Natural Resources Programme areas, and in this regard, the information requested by the Deputy is shown in the following Table:
|
Project |
Expenditure to Date |
Anticipated Completion Date |
Status |
|
National Postcode System (Eircodes) |
€26.2m |
The contract was awarded in 2013 for a ten year period to 2023, extendable by a further five years at the discretion of the Minister. |
Eircode adoption and usage continues to grow significantly since its launch in July 2015. By 2018, over 1,130 business organisations and State agencies were using Eircodes within their business operations across a wide spectrum of sectors. |
|
Tellus, National Airborne Geophysical & Ground Geochemical Mapping Programme |
€17.43m |
2028 |
Tellus is GSI's programme of scientific data collection on soils, water and rocks by ground geochemical sampling and airborne geophysical surveys. More than 50% of country has been completed since 2014. |
|
INFOMAR, National Marine Mapping Programme |
€13.9m |
2026 |
Phase 1 of GSI's INFOMAR Programme to map Ireland's entire marine territory was completed on time and under budget in 2016. Phase 2 is progressing well, and is on course for completion by 2026. |
In May 2019, the Government approved the appointment of a Preferred Bidder for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) State Intervention. The award of the contract to the Bidder is subject to contract close and the finalisation of financial and legal requirements; this work is progressing. Deployment of the NBP State Intervention network will commence shortly after that. The procurement process has determined that the maximum cost to the State over the 25-year term of the project will be €2.1 billion, excluding VAT of €355 million and contingency of €480 million.
