
Breaking €40bn for housing under new infrastructure spending plan
The revised National Development Plan will contain €100bn funding for housing, energy, water and transport projects from 2026 to 2030.
Around €30bn of that figure is said to be new funding, some of that coming from the Apple tax money and the sale of AIB shares.
Housing delivery is the centrepiece of the plan, with increased funding to build homes and accompanying electricity and water connections.
The Cabinet will meet this morning to agree this framework for infrastructure investment.
With Departments set to be allocated funding for capital projects, ESB Networks and Uisce Éireann are also set to benefit.
There will be a major increase in defence spending, with a focus on radar, sonar and force protection for Irish troops. Dublin's Metrolink will also receive funding.
Separately, the publication of the Government's Summer Economic Statement will outline how much money will be set aside in the Budget for tax cuts.
It comes as Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has been increasingly cautious about the public finances due to the threat of escalating tariffs from the US.
The statement will set out how much tax will be collected and how much will be allocated to capital and current spending.
The Department of Finance said it is focused on maintaining the stability of the public finances amid increasing uncertainty.
It said the Government will continue to put money into the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, and the Future Ireland Fund.
It said: "As a small open economy, we are vulnerable to external developments. This is why it is crucial that we have the resources available to maintain capital investment even in the event of an economic shock."
Much attention today will be on the scope for tax cuts next year.
A lot of that could be absorbed by a VAT reduction for hospitality, which the Coalition committed to introduce in its Programme for Government.
Mr Donohoe has also ruled out one-off cost-of-living measures, a step which has drawn criticism from the Opposition.
The Department of Finance said: "We are delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to increase capital investment in key areas, improving people's quality of life, boosting competitiveness and helping to attract and retain investment.
"At the same time, we will continue to use the resources available to us to invest record levels of public money across the public service, improve healthcare, education and social protection."
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers will outline expenditure plans for the coming year.
He will say the Government is "moving away from the one-off measures of the past".
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
178,000 products withdrawn, recalled or prevented from reaching market in 2024
Over 178,000 unsafe products were recalled, withdrawn or prevented from reaching the Irish market last year by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The actions were taken following consumer complaints, referrals from European networks, proactive investigations and work with Revenue Customs. The recalls included almost 10,000 babies sleepsuits and over 2,400 toy construction trucks. The CCPC's annual report for 2024 also showed that it carried out more than 200 consumer protection inspections last year. As a result of the enforcement and legal actions, it issued 47 fixed penalty notices and 23 compliance notices. The report said successful prosecutions were brought against five retailers, including Tesco Ireland. The CCPC said the retailer pleaded guilty to two sample counts of failing to comply with the law in how they displayed the price of products offered on promotion to clubcard holders. The consumer watchdog also undertook five successful prosecutions for breaches of consumer protection law, including action against misleading pricing practices. And it opened an investigation into Ticketmaster Ireland and its handling of the sale of Oasis tickets last August, following almost 100 complaints over dynamic pricing. The commission also carried out dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation in the home alarm industry. It also assisted the Italian Competition Authority, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, in an unannounced search of Ryanair's headquarters in Dublin as part of an ongoing Italian competition law investigation. The CCPC said its "successful intervention to prevent a potential monopoly in car parking at Dublin Airport" was among its highlights in 2024. The consumer watchdog said it blocked the daa's attempted purchase of the former Quickpark site due to findings that it would lead to "higher prices, less choice and lower service quality for consumers." As a result, it said it facilitated the entry of a new competitor to the car park market at Dublin Airport. There was a 21% increase in merger notifications, with 71% of determinations last year made within 13.3 days under a simplified process. 2024 marked a significant milestone for the CCPC, which celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking what it described as "a decade of work promoting competition and enhancing consumer welfare." The Chairperson of the CCPC, Brian McHugh, said the annual report highlights the "vital role the CCPC plays across all sectors of the economy, from enforcing consumer law on retail pricing, to advocating proactively for reforming the legal sector to better serve the interests of Irish businesses and consumers." "Open, fair markets are the backbone of our economy's success, ensuring that whether consumers are making small everyday purchases or major financial decisions, their interests are protected," he added. "Following a year of notable achievements and a decade of progress, our focus remains on delivering transparent outcomes, empowering consumers with knowledge of their rights, and being a leading voice for competition and consumer welfare across Ireland." The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, said the CCPC "continues to deliver for Irish consumers and businesses by ensuring our markets remain competitive, transparent, and safe." "Their work in 2024, from blocking anti-competitive mergers to removing dangerous products and empowering consumers through education, demonstrates the importance of strong, independent enforcement." Minister Burke said he will continue his close collaboration with the CCPC to ensure it has "sufficient powers and resources to effectively advocate for and enforce competition and consumer protection legislation." The commission said it responded to over 44,000 helpline contacts and received 1.8 million visits to its website throughout last year.

Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the Government VAT row: tensions ahead
With many Government ministers now scattered to the beaches and byways, attention to matters in Leinster House has turned briefly quiet. But the reverberations from a row over VAT on hospitality still linger, offering a taste of fractious budgetary debates to come in September. The flare-up, pitting Fianna Fáil against Fine Gael, may seem familiar. It echoes the tensions seen earlier this summer over third-level college fees and once again highlights the uneasy balance at the heart of the Coalition. The proposal to reduce the hospitality VAT rate to 9 per cent was a Fine Gael manifesto pledge that found its way, with caveats, into the Programme for Government. But enthusiasm for the measure is not universally shared. Simon Harris, eager to demonstrate economic support for small business and the regions, has championed the move. However, his party colleague, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, was notably blunt in the Summer Economic Statement. The cut, he noted, would consume nearly two-thirds of the pot set aside for tax measures. READ MORE That alone was enough to raise eyebrows. More pointedly, Fianna Fáil's Minister of State Niall Collins described the proposal as an unnecessary concession to a 'price-gouging' industry. Fine Gael countered that hospitality is a major regional employer under pressure from rising costs. Both sides later sought to play down the public spat. Coalition tensions are nothing new, but the nature of this disagreement suggests tougher debates to come. While calling the 2026 budget a 'hairshirt' one would be absurd, it is clear nonetheless that the era of fiscal generosity is drawing to a close. Trade-offs are inevitable. One such compromise may involve delaying the reduction until mid-2026. That might provide enough breathing room for competing demands, though no one will be entirely satisfied. In the end, the episode may be remembered as a sideshow to more serious economic challenges. Still, it has cast a light on the limits of coalition unity in an era of fiscal tightening.


Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Sleep suits, toy trucks and car parking at Dublin Airport: some of the actions taken by the consumer watchdog last year
Through consumer complaints, referrals from European networks, investigations and work with Revenue, the unsafe products were recalled, removed or prevented from reaching the Irish market. Among the recalls were nearly 10,000 babies' sleep suits and more than 2,400 toy construction trucks. Successful prosecutions were brought against five retailers last year, with Tesco Ireland pleading guilty to two sample counts of failing to comply with laws around the display of product prices on promotion for Clubcard holders. CCPC chairperson Brian McHugh said the annual report 'highlights the vital role the CCPC plays across all sectors of the economy'. "As we look ahead, it is clear that the CCPC's work is more important than ever and our vision for open and competitive markets where consumers are protected and businesses actively compete, remains at the heart of everything we do. 'Following a year of notable achievements and a decade of progress, our focus remains on delivering transparent outcomes, empowering consumers with knowledge of their rights, and being a leading voice for competition and consumer welfare across Ireland.' 'The CCPC continues to deliver for Irish consumers and businesses by ensuring our markets remain competitive, transparent, and safe,' Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said. 'Their work in 2024 – from blocking anti-competitive mergers to removing dangerous products and empowering consumers through education – demonstrates the importance of strong, independent enforcement.' Among the items highlighted in the report was the work done by the CCPC to block the sale of the former QuickPark car park site at Dublin Airport, an effort to prevent a monopoly in that market. In March of last year, the sale of the car park based on the Swords Road in Santry to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) was blocked over concerns it would lead to higher prices and a lower quality of service for consumers. ADVERTISEMENT A CCPC investigation found the deal would have seen DAA own more than 90pc of public car parking spaces serving Dublin Airport, leading to 'harmful consequences for consumers'. Following the decision, DAA said it saw 'merit' in appealing, but decided against an appeal to ensure the car park's spaces got back on the market ahead of the busy summer period. The report also highlighted assistance provided to the Italian competition authority by the CCPC in an unannounced search of Ryanair's Dublin headquarters last year. The search in March 2024 came as part of an Italian competition law investigation into whether Ryanair was abusing its dominant position in the market to hinder travel agents from selling Ryanair flights. Claims that Ryanair abused its dominant market position were denied by the airline. In January, the airline lost an appeal to overturn a decision it cannot sue the Italian competition authority in Ireland over the search. The High Court had dismissed Ryanair's case against the Autorità Garante Della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) in June of last year.