2026-07-07

9. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the progress made to date under national strategic outcome, NSO, 3 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51311/26]

As Minister, I am responsible for the setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at departmental level. In 2021, the NDP review originally committed €165 billion for the period to 2030. The revised development plan set out €275.4 billion in capital investment to 2035, the largest and most significant capital investment in the history of the State, and gross capital expenditure ceilings for all sectors have now been set. In addition to the €275 billion, we have an additional €10 billion in equity release up to 2030. This includes €3.5 billion for energy grid capacity, €4.5 billion for water and €2 billion for low-carbon transport, including MetroLink. Departments subsequently published sectoral investment plans setting out the capital projects to be prioritised to 2030. These plans provide visibility of the delivery pipeline, giving construction firms the certainty they need to invest in hiring, training and scaling their operations. This multi-year approach is designed to support industry planning and ensure that regional capacity can grow in line with demand. The plans include planned investment in projects across the country. National strategic outcome, NSO, 3 deals with strengthening rural economies and communities in a number of areas, including communications. In terms of broadband, significant progress was made in 2025, with over 440,000 homes and farms passed ahead of the target of 420,000. This programme is due for completion by the end of this year, which is ahead of schedule. In terms of arts and culture, some of the ongoing projects in the investment programme that has published include the National Archives Repository, the Crawford Art Gallery, phase 1 of the National Concert Hall and the National Gallery. In terms of sport, we have the Sport Ireland campus investment. This includes the national velodrome, badminton centre and cricket centre. In terms of the media, the Government will continue to support the development of Irish language media, with investment in TG4’s studio and broadcast facilities. Further details of projects, of which there are many, being delivered under NSO 3 can be found in the latest capital investment tracker, which is published.

While national progress is welcome, people in the north west want to know what NSO 3 is delivering for Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal. Our region has huge potential in tourism, enterprise, remote working and the blue and green economies, but the potential is still being held back by infrastructural deficits and poor connectivity. Roads funding is a major concern in Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal, and planned roadworks are now being scaled back because rising construction costs have outstripped available funding. Local authorities cannot continue to do more with less. Projects that have already been identified as priorities should not be deferred simply because costs have increased. If these works are dropped this year, there is no guarantee that they will be funded next year. That is a great concern for the region. Will the Minister outline the NSO 3 projects that have been delivered in Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal? What share of rural regeneration funding has come to the north west and will additional roads funding be provided to ensure critical road projects are delivered? The critical road projects I am referring to are the Sligo-Galway road, the N17, the N15 and the N16.

The published tracker sets out the region-by-region specificity in terms of infrastructure investment. I understand and agree that we need to give that regional uplift to the north-west, where there is a documented infrastructure deficit. That is why we have prioritised transport in our national development plan and, in fairness, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has rebalanced some of the transport funding so that many of the roads projects that were delayed in the previous Government can progress where there have been difficulties. The transport investment cycle is about €24 billion over the next five years, and there is a big uplift in transport funding in 2026. Specifics on road allocations are something between the Department of Transport and specific local authorities, but we are a Government that is front-loading significant investment - I would say in an unprecedented way - in our transport system to ensure we have that balance so that we are getting better public transport investment and seeing projects being delivered, but also that many of the roads projects, which are critical for the north-west in terms of regional development and road safety, are being delivered as well.

The success of NSO 3 should ultimately be judged by whether rural counties can attract and retain people, jobs and investment. In the north-west, communities across Sligo and Leitrim and south Donegal continue to argue that stronger intervention is needed to overcome decades of underinvestment. They point to the need for accelerated broadband delivery, greater support for town centre regeneration, expanded remote working infrastructure, enhanced tourism and outdoor recreation investment and, crucially, for improved transport connectivity and roads infrastructure. We should also mention Local Link, which has been a great success in rural Ireland but there are blank spots that need to be looked at as well. The Minister accepts there has been underinvestment in the north-west. I am glad he recognises the fact. I ask that we progress these projects, particularly the national primary roads, which are crucial for jobs.

The Deputy and I were in Ballymote last summer, and I am very familiar with the wider territory of Sligo and the north-west, including that great county, Mayo, next door to the Deputy, where I was last weekend.

The Minister loved to get that in.

We recognise the need, whether in north-west Donegal, where I was a few weeks ago, or all the way down to Kerry. There is a need along the Atlantic corridor to give that uplift to investment in roads and to enhance Local Link. I will ask the National Transport Authority to engage with the Deputy on that. There are also huge opportunities in tourism. Where we build out the tourism infrastructure, people come in their droves. We have seen that in many parts of the west, where trails, greenways, blueways and various pieces of infrastructure have been developed. Fáilte Ireland has a plan for that too. We want to ensure that the uplift in capital investment is seen, experienced and delivered for the north-west. That is something we are committed to doing.