Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 November 2021
260. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the details of the cross-Border Project Ireland 2040 infrastructure projects and the funding allocated for 2021, 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [53854/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Development Plan (NDP) is a high-level financial and budgetary plan, which sets out the framework and broad direction for investment priorities over the period 2021 to 2030. Under the recently announced National Development Plan, over €1 billion in capital expenditure has been allocated to my Department between 2021 and 2025.
My Department’s capital investment is centred on three high level objectives for the Department’s sectors:
- to promote Economic Recovery and Resilience
- to support Wellbeing and Social Cohesion
- to enhance Sustainability in its sectors and Guardianship of our unique cultural, linguistic and sporting heritage
My Department is progressing a range cross-border initiatives, including supporting the work of two cross-border bodies, namely Tourism Ireland and An Foras Teanga.
Over the lifetime of this plan, the Department will continue to work with Tourism Ireland and other partners to enhance all-island tourism and support the development of an all-island tourism product, and to promote the recovery of the sector following the pandemic. This will include working with the Executive on large scale North-South tourism initiatives which support the sustainable growth of the sector including cross-border walking/cycling trails as well as new marketing opportunities.
In co-operation with Sport Ireland, the Department is exploring the potential for new all-island sporting competitions, and opportunities to make Ireland-Northern Ireland and Ireland-UK bids for major international sporting events, including the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Additionally, under the NDP, the Government has committed to allocate ring-fenced, multi-annual capital resourcing for all-island investment out to 2030, at least at the current level of the Shared Island Fund. The Shared Island Fund is allocated by Government to Departments on the basis of approved collaborative North/South projects that implement Programme for Government commitments and objectives on Shared Island.
