Capital review will identify where spending best allocated: Minister

Business group Dublin Chamber said the capital deserved the lion’s share of any new money as the most populous region faces the challenges of Brexit.

Projects such as Metro North and the Dart Underground would deliver the biggest returns for the whole country because investing in infrastructure in the capital “respects and reflects where the Irish people are actually choosing to live in their greatest numbers”, said Dublin Chamber chief executive Mary Rose Burke.

Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy said he welcomed the commitment on additional capital spending. Spending will be required in the capital but investments in projects such as the M20 Cork–Limerick Motorway and Dunkettle Interchange would also sustain economic growth across the State, Mr Healy said.

Mr Donohoe’s review included an in-depth analysis of the strains facing existing infrastructure.

Including over 50 submissions from local authorities, politicians and business groups, the review said the additional €4.1bn will be allocated on the basis of evidence of bottlenecks and on risks such as Brexit facing the economy. The money will be allocated while recognising “the potential for overheating as the economy approaches full capacity”, it said.

A 113-page analysis, called Strategic Public Infrastructure, said population growth and the strains on primary care health services, demands on Third-Level education, housing shortages, and Irish Water investment “highlight the need for a concerted focus on getting project selection right”.

On roads, it said increased demand meant parts of the network were “either unstable or at breakdown” and “specific analysis of the M50 and the Cork Ring Road, two of the primary routes in those cities, shows that the level of service is a particular issue in these areas”.

Its research showed the population density is greatest in the Dublin and its suburbs, followed by Limerick and its suburbs, Galway and its suburbs, Cork and its suburbs, and Waterford and its suburbs.

The reports cited EU findings that low rates of use of public transport in Dublin compared with many European cities was because of the low population density of the capital.

It reports the national road network of major roads (5% of all roads) has been valued at €30bn, “highlighting both the overall value of the network as an asset and the requirement to maintain asset value”.

Meanwhile, the British Irish Chamber of Commerce warned higher education needs more resources if the Government is to secure “limited benefits of Brexit”.

The review was criticised by Fianna Fáil expenditure spokesperson Dara Calleary.

“The initial plan was published back in 2015 as a pre-election stunt but it lacked any ambition and failed to recognise the scale of the capital deficit in Ireland.

“Today’s review has failed to bring any new ideas to the table,” he said.

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner.