64. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the progress made to date under National Strategic Outcome (NSO) 8 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51381/26]

As Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation, 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.

In the 2021 NDP review, the Government originally committed €165 billion in capital investment for the period 2021-30 and subsequently agreed to additional funding of €2.25 billion in March 2024 for 2024-2026. The revised National Development Plan, published in July 2025 set out €275.4 billion in public capital investment to 2035 – the largest and most significant capital injection in our economy in the history of the State, and an additional €10billion in equity release up to 2030. This includes €3.5billion for energy grid capacity, €4.5billion for water and €2billion for low-carbon transport including Metrolink.

The NDP contains expenditure commitments for a range of strategic investment priorities which will contribute towards the achievement of National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs), including NSO 8, which relates to the Transition to a Climate-Neutral and Climate-Resilient Society. This NSO highlights the need for a radical restructuring of our society and economy to reduce fossil fuel use and move rapidly to a climate-neutral economic model by 2050. Investment in NSO 8 will not only contribute to the objective of a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 but also lay the pathway to achieve the national climate objective of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The Climate Action Plan 2024, which was published in December 2023, sets out the actions, measures, policies and plans to meet the emission reduction targets required by our carbon budgets and sectoral emission ceilings. The plan contains actions Ireland must implement to meet our emissions reduction targets and to achieve net zero emissions no later than 2050.

In recognition of the need for additional investment to assist Ireland to deal with the transition to climate neutrality, and deal with nature, water and biodiversity degradation, the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024 was enacted in June 2024. The fund will support designated environmental projects specifically related to the achievement of climate and nature goals. As part of the NDP review, €3.15 billion from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund has been allocated to support designated environmental projects, with funding to go towards projects that will assist with climate change objectives and with addressing nature, water quality and biodiversity issues. This will fund low-carbon transportation, climate mitigation and renewable energy development, and improvements in water quality.

Under NSO 8, a range of investments are planned and underway under the NDP. Some projects completed in recent years include:

• Oweninny Wind Farm Project (Phases 1 and 2)

• The 500mw Greenlink Interconnector commenced operation in January 2025

• River Dodder Flood Relief Scheme (Phase 2)

• Clonakilty Flood Relief Scheme

• Ennis Lower Flood Relief Scheme

• Grousemount Wind Farm

• Douglas Flood Relief Scheme

• Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme

• Skibbereen Flood Relief Scheme

• Cloncreen Windfarm

As of late 2025/early 2026, 56 major flood relief schemes have been completed across Ireland, protecting over 13,500 properties and investing in schemes like those in Kildare (Lower Morrell, Rye Water), Cork (Bandon), and Clare (Sixmilebridge, Springfield). These projects are part of a €1.3 billion National Development Plan investment targeting 80% of at-risk properties.

Further details of projects and programmes being delivered under NSO 8 can be found in the latest capital investment tracker which provides a composite update on the progress of all major investments with an estimated cost of greater than €20 million. The Project Ireland 2040 capital investment tracker and myProjectIreland interactive map are all available on gov.ie/2040.

In addition to the tracker, the sectoral plans which were published by Departments at the end of 2025 include planned investment and projects across the country, including a range of projects and critical infrastructure works. 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 and projects across the country. These sectoral plans are available on each Departmental website and will provide the Deputy with further detail on a sectoral basis.

Furthermore, the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan (AIRAP), published in December 2025 outlined a range of reforms to speed up delivery of critical infrastructure across Ireland to support the realisation of the funding allocated under the NDP and optimise delivery.