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For Written Answer on : 11/09/2023
Question Number(s): 295 Question Reference(s): 37909/23
Department: Transport
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
* To ask the Minister for Transport the net underspend after carryover surrendered by his Department to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– David Stanton T.D.
For WRITTEN answer on Monday, 11 September, 2023.
REPLY
Please see a table below setting out the requested information concerning the Department of Transport’s capital budget in 2021 and 2022.
| Budget and Out-Turn (‘000s) | 2021 | 2022 |
| Total Capital Budget | 2,527,500 | 2,547,000 |
| Total Out-Turn | 2,316,285 | 2,402,184 |
| Total Capital Carryover | 161,100 | 137,956 |
| Surrender to Exchequer | 50,115 | 6,860 |
| Percentage of Capital Carried Forwards | 6.37% | 5.42% |
| Percentage of Capital Returned | 1.98% | 0.27% |
As the table demonstrates, the net underspend after carryover for 2021 and 2022 is relatively modest at less than 2% of the budget for each year. Over the period 2021-2022, my Department has made significant investments in active travel and greenway infrastructure, in new national and regional and local road construction and in protection and renewal of road and rail networks. My Department has also made extensive investments in EV Grants and EV infrastructure, as well as safety and security in Regional Airports and Maritime Safety and Security.
Where public transport infrastructure is concerned, my Department has continued to steer major public transport projects through planning and design phases and the planning system. The Department has invested heavily in new bus and rail carriage fleet as we work towards decarbonising public transport services, modernising fleets and expanding capacity. The Department has also invested heavily in key network enablers, of particular note, the ongoing construction of the National Train Control Centre and the Dublin City Centre re-signalling project. These investments will maximise the utility of the infrastructure elements of major transport projects when they move from the planning into the construction and delivery phase.
