Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 December 2019
303. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the capital allocation of his Department in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and the areas to which funds will be allocated in each year. [52206/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMulti annual capital allocations are agreed and published on a rolling three years basis. Annual capital expenditure ceilings for my Department for the three-year period 2020-2022 were published in the Budget 2020 Expenditure Report and are set out in the table below:
|
Year |
€m |
|
2020 |
371 |
|
2021 |
517 |
|
2022 |
611 |
Detailed programme allocations for each of these years will be agreed as part of the annual Estimates process and published in the Revised Estimates Volume, subsequent to each Budget Day.
During this period, my Department will oversee significant capital investment amounting to some €1.5 billion and will continue to progress capital investment programmes in areas of strategic national importance, encompassing climate action, energy efficiency, communications, environment, waste management and natural resources.
In the Communications area, the rollout of the National Broadband Plan will ensure that the opportunities presented by the digital transformation are available to every home and business in the country. There will be continued support for digital entrepreneurship and digital adoption among businesses and citizens.
Increased investment in the Energy area will deliver significant energy savings and reductions in CO2 emissions in the transition to a low carbon economy and society, in line with the all of Government Climate Action Plan. Key funding priorities include energy efficiency upgrades in the residential, commercial and public sectors, the rollout of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat, continued incentivisation of electric vehicles, as well as funding for energy research to accelerate the diversification away from fossil fuels to green energy.
In the Environment area, my Department will continue to provide grant funding for the EPA to ensure it can deliver on its mandate, funding to Local Authorities in relation to the remediation of landfill sites, as well as supports for the transition to a circular and resource efficient economy. Ongoing investment in the INFOMAR and Tellus mapping projects will underpin the sustainable development of Ireland’s natural resources.
