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All elements of revised National Development Plan finalised

Housing, transport, energy and water services will be funded from the new National Development Plan
Housing, transport, energy and water services will be funded from the new National Development Plan

All elements of the National Development Plan have now been finalised, with Coalition leaders meeting again tonight for final sign-off.

The allocation for housing was the only outstanding element of the revised NDP, with sources having indicated that discussions on the housing element took up much of today.

Ramping up housing delivery is central to the new NDP, with the aim of increasing funding and removing blockages in terms of insufficient water and electricity connections.

Funding for housing will be the largest part of this €100bn plan, as there will also be a sizable allocation for Uisce Éireann, which comes under the Department of Housing.

Earlier, the coalition leaders met with Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to finalise details.

The full plan will be announced tomorrow, along with the Summer Economic Statement, which sets out the parameters for the Budget.

Housing, transport, energy and water services will be funded from the new NDP.

Minister Chambers said it will amount to €100bn from 2026 to 2030, along with the promise of another €100bn for the following five years.

The aim is to address shortfalls in services and utilities while also shoring up Ireland's competitiveness.

Tánaiste Simon Harris said the new plan will signal a step change in infrastructure investment.

Headline figures will be announced tomorrow, with the allocations for departments and utilities set out.

However, the full list of projects will not be confirmed for several months.

"I think it's important that people are aware that the backdrop against which the Summer Economic Statement will be published this year will be very, very different from previous years," Mr Harris said.

He added: "We are endeavouring to put together a set of economic projections at a time of huge global uncertainty.

"So, it is going to be necessary to be prudent in the figures we publish and to make decisions in the weeks and months ahead that have a real focus on protecting jobs and investment and keeping our country safe during what could be an economically turbulent period ahead."

Departments to prepare 'implementation plans' for next five years - Minister

Minister for State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney said that the "broad figures" for each department will be announced tomorrow, from which, each department will prepare an "implementation plan" for what they plan to achieve over the next five years, which will be published in due course.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "The reason we're doing it that way is because it gives departments the flexibility to look at the projects that they have coming up, look at which projects are shovel ready, and we can get them moving as quickly as possible."

Mr Canney said that the implementation plan would enable the Government to monitor the progress of projects.

"The implementation plan from each department will set out their plan, and that can be monitored as we go along and give us a better sight on how they are performing and how local authorities are performing and delivering housing," he said.

Mr Canney said that the Government cannot wait until the tariff situation is resolved when planning for the future.

"The biggest threat to everything we do and plan is tariffs and where they're going to land, but we cannot wait until all of that is put to bed to start planning for our future over the next five years," he said.

He said that it is "critical" that infrastructure is put in place over the next five years.

"I do accept the fact that in all things that we're planning, you have this cloud hanging over us and nobody can predict what's going to happen tomorrow, what will come from the United States tomorrow or next week.

"We just have to, within the EU, continue to try to negotiate to find a settlement on the tariffs issue so that we can plan with better certainty in the future," he added.