Cabinet Committees

1. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [75642/26]

2. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [75629/26]

3. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [75655/26]

4. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [64308/26]

5. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [64833/26]

6. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [64287/26]

7. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [64343/26]

8. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [68790/26]

9. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [69879/26]

10. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [69903/26]

11. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [69904/26]

12. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [69992/26]

13. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [70048/26]

14. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [70058/26]

15. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [71965/26]

16. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [72035/26]

17. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [76176/26]

18. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [76648/26]

19. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [76679/26]

20. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [76549/26]

21. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [76696/26]

22. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [76737/26]

23. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [77412/26]

24. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [77481/26]

25. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [77499/26]

26. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [77534/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 26, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on infrastructure last met on Monday, 19 October and is scheduled to meet again on Monday, 19 November 2026. The Cabinet committee drives infrastructure delivery, ensuring that our unprecedented investment is delivering real results and addressing our infrastructure deficit. The revised national development plan provides for more than €275 billion in investment in critical infrastructure throughout the country until 2035. This includes more than €24 billion to be invested in key transport programmes nationwide. A further €12.2 billion will be invested in the water sector, improving water quality and rural water services and enabling new housing and upgrading of our water and wastewater infrastructure. The landmark investment of up to €18.9 billion, approved by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities in its price review 6, is supported by a Government investment of €3.5 million equity in our overall grid. This is the largest single investment in the country’s electricity network in its history. More than €20 billion of Exchequer capital investment was allocated in budget 2027, an increase of €1.1 billion plus 5.9% on the 2026 allocation. That is the highest annual spend in the history of the State on the lines of the Government’s commitment to delivering the infrastructure our country needs. We have allocated €5.5 billion to the Department of Transport for next year to enable a record level of investment in public transport services and the road network throughout the country. Some €1.28 billion has been allocated to accelerate the transition to a secure, sustainable and affordable energy sector. We have committed €2.35 billion to Uisce Éireann for 2027. This investment will progress more than 400 projects next year, including the eastern and midlands region's water supply project, the greater Dublin drainage scheme and the wastewater treatment plants upgrades in counties Limerick and Waterford. Large, once-in-a-generation projects, such as MetroLink, are advancing at pace with an additional €6 billion allocated in the budget over the period 2027-2030. Tendering is progressing and significant enabling works are to start onsite from early next year. The housing activation office is accelerating delivery of critical infrastructure needed to unblock housing supply through 82 projects which are being funded under the €1 billion housing infrastructure investment fund to directly enable the delivery of 86,000 new homes. We are coupling all of this investment with the reform of our delivery systems so that critical projects and programmes are completed as efficiently and as quickly as possible. This includes many legal, regulatory and process reforms such as the introduction of a scale of fees for environmental judicial review, which provides a clearer cost framework for applicants. It aims to prevent unpredictable costs for the taxpayer and reduce the burdens of prolonged delays to public infrastructure. In addition, it is now possible to designate strategically important projects as critical infrastructure allowing them to be fast-tracked through approval processes. In July, the Galway city ring road was among the first transport projects to be designated as critical infrastructure.

A first-year economics students in any of our universities will tell you that price, rent and access to housing are determined by supply but also demand. At a time of static supply, the Government is purposefully increasing demand through the issuing of tens of thousands of visas into the country. A total of 50% of people in emergency accommodation at the moment are non-Irish citizens. In Dublin, this figure is 58%. A total of 45% of mortgage drawdowns in some areas are taken up for people who have recently come to the country. In 2024, the Government issued 40,000 working visas and 60,000 student visas. The Government is building 30,000 homes. Can it not draw the dots between the two difficulties?

Dublin Mid-West is one of the constituencies in the State that is delivering more and more housing growth. While this is very welcome, it is also putting unprecedented pressure on our local infrastructure. On many occasions, I have raised with the Taoiseach the need for concerted investment in a medium-term strategy to deliver DART+ South West as soon as we can by bringing forward funding for that and to ensure that the Luas line to Lucan gets over the line in terms of the emerging preferred route being published this year, along with a railway order as soon as possible afterwards. Houses are being built and people will need the public transport links to back those houses up. It is important that DART+ South West and the Luas line to Lucan are prioritised.

The south Galway flood relief scheme is a critical scheme to protect homes in the south Galway area from flooding, which has had a devastating impact in the past. This scheme has been delayed for many years. Last week, we were informed that construction works as part of the project are not expected to start until 2029. This is hugely concerning for residents in the area whose homes are at risk and left exposed to potential flooding. I am asking the Taoiseach to commit here today that this scheme will be designated as a critical infrastructure project to ensure that OPW and planning approval can be expedited so that people's homes are adequately protected.

Wastewater capacity is a major obstacle to housing delivery across Ireland with towns like Edenderry in my constituency unable to reach their full potential. The Government has found a practical solution through modular wastewater treatment units. I raised this at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery where we heard that no developer-led schemes had yet progressed. Having listened to people in the industry, I believe the remaining obstacle is financial. We have the solution. Will the Taoiseach consider safe funding for these units to unlock badly needed houses across the country and not increase the price of housing to purchasers?

I wish to raise the ongoing delays with the BusConnects project in Cork. This project was initially announced in 2021 with the initial consultation phase but over five years later, we have seen little or no implementation. It was hailed as being transformational for Cork bus services with a 53% increase in the services available, 11 dedicated sustainable transport corridors and so on, but implementation has been chronically slow. I ask the Taoiseach to take the matter up with the NTA so that we can get a firm timeline on the implementation from here on.

Underfunded and underdeveloped wastewater treatment in Dundalk is impacting the delivery of housing and future industrial development. I think of my own estate, Bay Estate, and places like Cluan Enda, which are at constant risk of flooding. While we need catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, protections, the fact is we are impacted because 80% of Dundalk consists of joint control systems that are not up to scratch in any way, shape or form. If we are talking about the Coes Road pumping station or the treatment plan, what was previously 2027 is now 2029 and what was 2029 is 2034. We need to see delivery.

The Dunsink urban area plan is potentially one of the most ambitious public housing projects seen for decades. This is an opportunity for thousands of affordable homes. However, the way it has been dealt with so far does not bode well. First, the density increased from 7,000, indicated two years ago in a question that I put on the council, to 18,500. It has now gone down to 16,000. It was to be dealt with in one day and councillors had to insist on five more meetings. The way this has been handled does not bode well for the future of the project. The Government needs to step in and see that the infrastructure is delivered.

Digital infrastructure is a critical component of the AI transition we are seeing in our economy and society. I acknowledge the Taoiseach's establishment of a Cabinet subcommittee for AI and the success of the AI summit, which should be a yearly event. One of the recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence was for a citizens' assembly on AI. I have proposed it in the discussion document that I generated for my party's Ard-Fheis this Saturday. Is a citizens' assembly something the Taoiseach might consider as a way of getting through the misinformation and misapprehension and involving the public trust that is out there regarding the AI transition in our economy and society?

The route stop selection of the N25 Midleton to Youghal scheme is due for publication before the end of this year. This is an important infrastructure and national road upgrade that we have long fought for with the Taoiseach's co-operation. Could we get an update about the status of Government support for this project? We estimate the cost could be anywhere from €250 million up to €400 million. We need to see it completed.

For many years, we campaigned to get social and affordable housing on the Shanganagh Castle site. The Land Development Agency, LDA, has finally built it but now serious problems are already emerging in this flagship development. The council just did a survey of the 100 cost-rental homes and found that 40% of them did not meet standards. There are problems with disability access and heating systems and residents are being charged €120 a month for parking. The council asked the LDA to come in twice to discuss these problems but it did not turn up and neither did the private company that has been hired to manage it. Could the Taoiseach tell the LDA to hold itself accountable to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the people of the area for these serious problems?

The data centre construction companies that the Taoiseach and his Government have been trumpeting as success stories have turned out to be rogue employers of the worst sort. Thanks to an Investigate Europe investigation, we know that workers on Irish-run sites have suffered serious injuries, including electrocution, a TB outbreak, rat-infested accommodation, unpaid wages, excessively long hours and union busting. Unions have won €1.3 million in compensation from Irish company BenBau at a Microsoft site in Sweden. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Is the Taoiseach confident, like his former Cabinet colleague Tom Parlon, that these companies comply with labour legislation?

The Taoiseach knows my work on private wires, plug-in solar systems and long-range storage but, ultimately, it is all undermined if our electricity grid cannot keep pace. Two weeks ago in the Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy, I questioned EirGrid about renewable connection offers that depend on PR6 being delivered on time. We have seen PR6 and previous infrastructure being delayed so I asked EirGrid, which refused to answer my question three times, whether it will ensure that ESB and EirGrid provide clear connection platforms and if they fall short, who is responsible.

Roads in west Cork have serious infrastructural deficits. Bypasses in Innishannon and Bandon, the northern relief road, the southern relief road and the Bantry bypass have all been talked about for the past 20 years. The last bypass involving any real expenditure was the Skibbereen bypass, which was built in 2003. The condition of the Ballydehob Road is shocking. There are no passing bays on the M71. I do not understand why we are left behind. I see today the Boher-Scart R572 road near Castletownbere and the Dromdeegy and Dunmanway roads have now been put off so the people in Castletownbere will not get their roads surfaced this year as was promised. What is wrong?

The failure to provide adequate wastewater infrastructure and the failure of Uisce Éireann to properly manage and upgrade existing facilities is contributing to the discharge of untreated and inadequately treated sewage into our waterways in Meath and Louth. This issue was very well addressed at a large public meeting in Navan last night. What is the Government going to do to address this failure? Will the Taoiseach commit to direct intervention with Uisce Éireann, an urgent assessment of wastewater infrastructure failures affecting Meath and Louth and a clear, funded timetable for necessary upgrades?

Cobh, one of Cork’s largest towns, remains dependent on a single road connection to the mainland. The proposed Great Island connectivity scheme has been under consideration since 2019 yet the Government’s current timetable does not envisage construction beginning until 2030. There is a serious resulting constraint on housing development, economic activity and the safety of residents. Will the Taoiseach intervene to accelerate this project, provide the necessary funding and publish a credible timetable for delivering a second access route to Great Island?

Households, families and businesses in Dungarvan have endured repeated water outages, including prolonged ones, over the last week. I want to acknowledge the Uisce Éireann workers on the ground restoring supplies and the work of my colleague, Councillor Kate O’Mahoney, in supporting affected residents. However, serious questions now need to be answered about the causes of these outages, the conditions of the network serving Dungarvan and the investment required to prevent a repeat. Households and businesses have faced considerable disruption with communication from Uisce Éireann also falling far short of what people should expect. This cannot be treated as an isolated operational difficulty. The people of Dungarvan deserve answers.

People are shocked by the decision by Iarnród Éireann to facilitate the greenway along the disused railway between Collooney and Charlestown. We have serious concerns about the future of the western rail corridor. Can the Taoiseach clarify the Government’s long-term intentions for the strategic rail corridor, when the Claremorris to Athenry section will be delivered and whether he will commit to a clear timeline for extending the rail services northwards to Sligo?

I thank all the Deputies for the variety and range of questions presented. I am familiar with the north Kilkenny ring road. I must have said to Deputy Cleere a couple of months ago that I thought it was very important and now he has put the words back into my mouth to reinforce my commitment to the completion of the road. Lesson learned. The Deputy can be assured that the Government is committed to getting this road completed. Deputy Tóibín raised the issue of student visas and work visas. A lot of the work visas relate to our health service. Some of them are renewables. They are high but work permits generally are for the areas of the economy that need extra workers – our health service, some technology areas and so on.

Hotels, pubs, restaurants.

Not really actually, no. I mean-----

The general ones are higher.

Educational.

The issue will be whether we want to try to work out a programme to switch off the economy to a certain extent. These are the choices facing us. We cannot slow things down. We can reduce students into the country. We can reduce work permits if we wish but then we would have to be prepared for the implications of that. We need to map out the implications of that in terms of services and so on. It is not a simple issue and it is not something that can be done just at the switch of a button. Deputy Shane Moynihan raised the DART+ South West. He has raised this consistently in the House. I have been pressing the Minister for Transport and for climate on this. I hope we will have some good news on this soon as well as the Luas line to Lucan, and the importance of public transport more generally. Deputy O’Hara raised construction work on the flood relief scheme. If he had been told it was 2029, I presume this was by the engineers. We cannot rush a flood relief scheme. We cannot skip crucial milestones in terms of public consultation in flood relief schemes.

We have to expedite the planning.

I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, on this and to the OPW. These are very complex engineering projects. They have to be done right. What happens is people give a timeline and then we say, “We were told it will not be until”. The date that is given is the date at which people feel they will complete it, I presume, or else when they will start construction or whatever, but these all have to do with the planning, design and so on. On wastewater treatment plants, I think Deputy McCormack was suggesting that we would now support-----

It was wastewater modular units.

Yes.

I am just seeking clarity. That is all.

Do not worry. The point is the Government has been funding a lot in the construction sector. Eighty percent of all housing built in the country is now supported by the State. We want to get some action on these modular plants. There has not been enough delivery yet and the nature-based approach has not yet yielded results considering we have given it the green light. We are working on that with Uisce Éireann and the EPA. Deputy Michael McGrath raised Cork BusConnects. It is fair to say there was huge consultation on that. There was a lot of public consultation before the documents were ready for planning to go in. That probably took a lot of time since the announcement in 2021. I was involved in a lot of representations on behalf of people, as no doubt the Deputy was too. It created a lot of heat in different communities but ultimately I think they have arrived at an accommodation with a lot of communities and residents. I hope we can progress it as quickly as possible. It would be a transformation with bus corridors and transport in the city. Deputy Ó Murchú raised Dundalk and CFRAM.

Uisce Éireann as well.

The Deputy had a lot in his question. He probably got the most in in 30 seconds of anybody. I will see what we can do with Uisce Éireann, and the OPW I presume, in relation to the implementation of CFRAM. On Dunsink, again, the Government does not run every local authority. We are asked repeatedly in the House to intervene on what is happening in local authorities. The Deputy is saying it has gone down to 16,000 houses. Is this the rezoning?

No, the-----

The Taoiseach was asking me.

In any event, I will ask my team to try and find out the issue there. The AI summit was a very successful summit with some very heavy hitters and good insightful speakers. A lot of companies came to Ireland. I am not so sure that doing it annually is the correct way to deal with something. Sometimes, you will not repeat the same thing again and again but you do need to have sequels, follow-ups and things like that. I have asked my officials to look at the prospect of sectoral approaches to AI. We have an Oireachtas committee as well. I will keep an open mind on the citizens’ assembly but I know the Oireachtas committee is bringing in a lot of people which is where the action is at the moment in respect of public policy. It is amazing that Deputy James O’Connor campaigned for something that had small beginnings in terms of money, and now he has quoted somewhere between €250 million and €400 million.

Ballpark.

I think this road has to be done and this issue has to be dealt with because of the traffic queues, the number of workers on that corridor and the towns that have expanded beyond compare in very recent times. That will be needed and the Government will have to find the money to make sure we do that, but I think we are in a position to do it over the next number of years. On social and affordable houses in Shanganagh, I have not had the same account as the Deputy. Is he is saying 40% of houses are defective?

The cost rentals.

It is 40% of the cost rentals. I will engage with the LDA on that and try to get a report on what is happening there. On data centre construction, I do not know what companies Deputy Murphy is talking about. He said companies.

BenBau, Collen and others.

Again, I will have to get a proper presentation on that. I am not so sure everyone in Ireland engaged in data construction. Many of these companies are global, not the ones the Deputy is talking about but other ones, and I do not think we can be branding everybody under the same title of rogue employers. I do not think that is fair. I have not seen the report the Deputy referenced. The good news for Deputy Heneghan is the Minister is making a lot of progress on private wires legislation and plug-in solar. The electricity grid and EirGrid were mentioned. We met EirGrid last week. It has outlined significant investment plans after 2030. The issue with EirGrid for everyone in the House is that the only thing that will slow things down is objections. Whether they are to power lines or connections, they are a big factor in progressing any grid infrastructure. We will have significant issues in the time ahead trying to get proper grid resilience and trying to strengthen and extend the grid and have a stronger grid. That is one of the big issues facing us. Deputy Collins named a lot of bypasses and I am familiar with all those areas. We are allocating a lot of resources. There is a lot of inflation in road construction and it is eating into the resources, but we will engage with Cork County Council about progress on a number of those roads. On sewage in Meath and Louth, we are working with the OPW and Uisce Éireann to try to deal with those issues. I do not have the specifics of the issues he referenced in Meath and Louth, but the Government, working through the agencies, is allocating unprecedented resources to deal with these issues. The Government is supportive of the Great Island connectivity scheme. There were planning issues in respect of it which had an impact on housing and relocation of industry from the docklands in Cork city to the east. We are supportive of the second access route. A lot will depend on the planning, design and so forth. Deputy Conor McGuinness praised the Uisce Éireann workers on the ground in Dungarvan who restored the water. The reorganisation of Uisce Éireann, as regards it moving out of the local authorities and so on, was a factor for a number of years. I think it has been completed so I hope we will continue to see an enhancement and improvement of the water network. The greenway is important. A lot of people wanted it and these are not mutually exclusive objectives. The all-island rail review predicted this stretch will not be in a position to accommodate a railway until approximately 2050. It is 2026 so meanwhile a greenway could do a lot for the area. We have already sanctioned funding for the extension of the western railway. We have made substantial progress on it and will continue to do so. We have allocated substantial resources to it. We should not lose sight of that either. The greenway can be an important amenity and create additional economic benefits for the region.