Minister Donohoe chairs meeting of Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board

We were delighted to welcome the Minister for Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe T.D., yesterday where he chaired a meeting of the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board at WorkIQ in the Tallaght Innovation Quarter.

As Chair of the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board, the Minister’s primary focus is on measures that can assist in removing bottlenecks to delivering on the priorities outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP). The Board has discussed a range of issues to date such as the backlog in planning applications and the restructuring of An Bord Pleanála to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

Yesterday’s meeting was held at WorkIQ in the Tallaght Innovation Quarter which received funding under the NDP from the Urban and Regeneration Development Fund. The Board also had the opportunity to visit a number of transformational projects that are helping to deliver the next stage of Tallaght’s growth and which are receiving funding directly from the Council and various Government funding supports. Highlights from the meeting included a presentation from Colm Ward, Chief Executive, South Dublin County Council on NDP projects in the Tallaght area and from Michael Nolan, Chair of the Major Projects Advisory Group who updated the Board on their work.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Donohoe said:

"The National Development Plan (NDP) is central to delivering the vital infrastructure we need to support our future economic and social requirements, as well as our climate change commitments. I was delighted to chair an off-site meeting of the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board at the Tallaght Innovation Quarter today to see at first-hand a range of exciting and innovative projects that are being delivered under the National Development Plan – including and an affordable cost rental Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) apartment building at Belgard Square and the Tallaght Stadium Fourth Stand. My thanks to Colm Ward, Chief Executive, South Dublin County Council for hosting us today at the very impressive WorkIQ building.

"Government is investing €165 billion up to 2030 under the NDP. In addition, in March I was happy to announce the allocation of an additional €2.25 billion in capital expenditure out to 2026. The overall level of capital funding is at an all-time high. In 2024, €13 billion is being made available for investment to provide more schools, social housing schemes, roads, Garda stations, Primary Care Centres and libraries that will make a real difference in delivering better public services.

"The NDP projects that we viewed today are only a small selection of the range of NDP projects delivered since Project Ireland 2040 was first launched in 2018. This Government has overseen the delivery of many impactful NDP projects across the country including major third-level building projects such as the new university campus in Grangegorman as well as better transport links including upgrades on the N4 from Collooney to Castlebaldwin, from Gort to Tuam on the N17/N18 and the Dunkettle Interchange Upgrade.

"The Government is committed to continuing to deliver our ambitions in line with the NDP –building more houses, building more schools and other vital public infrastructure that will improve the quality of life for everyone living in Ireland.

"I look forward to continued positive engagement with the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board as we work together to boost NDP delivery over the coming years as we reshape our country’s economic and social future in a sustainable and climate-friendly manner, thus enabling a low-carbon future.”

Colm Ward, Chief Executive of South Dublin County Council said:

“We are delighted to welcome Minister Donohoe and the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board to Tallaght today to highlight the impact of Government support and funding for initiatives being delivered in South Dublin. As well as hosting the meeting in the new Work IQ centre within the emerging Innovation Quarter in Tallaght Town Centre, we also showcased the recently completed Tallaght Stadium expansion, Heatworks, Ireland’s first district heating scheme and the first direct local authority cost rental project nationally at Belgard North, all connected by high-quality new public realm and permeability works. These projects demonstrate our commitment to working with key partners in government to build a sustainable future for our County aligned to the Project 2040 vision.”