National Development Plan

As Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform I am responsible for setting the overall capital allocations across Departments and for monitoring monthly expenditure at Departmental level. The responsibility for the management and delivery of individual investment projects or sectoral policy strategies, within the allocations agreed under the National Development Plan (NDP), rests with the individual sponsoring Department in each case. Each Minister is responsible for deciding on the priority programmes and projects that will be delivered under their remit within the NDP and for setting out the timelines for delivery.

The Government has committed €165 billion funding for capital investment, as set out in the NDP published in October 2021. This level of expenditure was considered and agreed in order to support those sectors that would be key in delivering the ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) identified in the National Planning Framework (NPF). Following the conclusion of more than 30 bilateral meetings which took place from January to March this year with my Ministerial colleagues, the distribution of an additional €2.25 billion in capital funding across Departments for the period 2024-26 was agreed by Government in March 2024. This builds on the existing funding already available under the NDP out to 2026 and it will mean more schools, housing, transport, healthcare projects and enhanced cultural and sporting amenities can be progressed and delivered for our people.

The NDP contains expenditure commitments for a range of strategic investment priorities which will contribute towards the achievement of the NSOs.

With these points noted, I would be glad to give the Deputy an overview of the NSO 7 which is the delivery of Enhanced Amenity and Heritage. Ireland’s heritage – is of fundamental importance to all aspects of our society, our identity, our well-being and our economy.

Investment in our heritage has the dual benefit of protecting our natural and historic built environment while improving health, wellbeing and providing a catalyst for the economy through the development of recreational activities and the expansion of tourism as appropriate within heritage sites.

Heritage investment priorities include: development of our natural parks and reserves, and safeguarding Ireland’s Historic Environment through the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund.

Investment priorities include: the enhancement of sports facilities throughout Ireland with the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme and Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund; Digitisation of the National Collections; and, the National Cultural Institutions Investment Programme. Specific projects range from the refurbishment of the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, to the development of world-class sporting facilities at the Sport Ireland Campus. Investment priorities for tourism in the short term will include the further development and promotion of the regional tourism experience brands such as the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, and Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.

The Government is committed to detailing progress on the delivery of the NDP at regular intervals and details of projects and programmes being delivered under NSO 7 can be found in the latest capital investment tracker, which I published yesterday and provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million.  Accompanying the tracker, the myProjectIreland interactive map details projects across the country and provides details on specific projects by county, and contains smaller investments such as schools, cultural and sporting amenities and social housing projects. Search facilities also allow citizens to view projects in their regional area, by city, by county or by eircode.   

The Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and myProjectIreland interactive map are all available on gov.ie/2040.