Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-05-07 ============================================================ Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East Each and every one of us, whether Ministers in Departments or Deputies in this House, wants to make sure that every taxpayers' penny that is spent is spent well, goes to where it needs to go and goes to those who need it. That is across every Department, including health, education, active travel, and investing in critical infrastructure. With the €105 billion that was announced in last year's budget, there is a role for all of us, including Ministers, Departments, and agencies, to make sure we get value for money, spend it where it is needed, and that projects come in on time and on budget. That has to be a focus and priority for all of us. That is an objective of Government and of all of us in this House. One of the Department of public expenditure and reform's key roles is the development of guidance, codes of practice, and circulars to make sure we get best value for money, that we adhere to critical infrastructure guidelines, that we have codes of practice in place that are adhered to, and that we make sure that what we are spending our money on is spent well, whether it is money invested in health, education, communications, large-scale transport, or any other larger projects. Before suggesting that is not happening, look at communications where we have the €3 billion national broadband plan which was delivered on time, on budget, and is ahead of schedule. We have large-scale transport projects that are coming in on time and within budget. In the health sector, which the Deputy referenced, more money is being spent than ever before. We will have more people working in our health service this year than we did last year. Of course, we have to make sure that where budgets are set within hospitals and within regions, people are able to stick to those because if you go over your budget, then somebody else in a different part of the country suffers. When you look at the projects and the investment, we had acute facility expansions in 2025, with works to expand ward blocks in Cork University Hospital, St. James's, Connolly, Blanchardstown, and the Mater hospital. They have all been delivered on time and on budget. These are facilities for people where people will benefit day-to-day. The Mater hospital's Rock Wing was completed in 2023. I mention the national forensic central hospital and Merlin Park University Hospital. Look at further and higher education and at education. We are absolutely determined that every cent that is spent of the €105.4 billion budget announced last year, which we will spend this year, and the money announced in the past couple of weeks, will go directly to those who need it but we need to make sure we have a balance, that we are investing in active travel, that we are encouraging people to cycle to work where they can, that we are investing in our communities and that it is not just going directly into services and infrastructure. Nobody agrees with what happened here in Leinster House last year. That is why the OPW has put in place new measures and put forward changes to make sure something like that cannot happen again but the project the Deputy mentioned went through the procurement process and the proper guidelines. What was delivered was what was decided was needed for the hospital in the place that it was located. That is in the scheme of a €105 billion budget, with additional funding already provided for this year. We have provided €750 million to people because we know that it is needed. Some €100 million has been provided directly to our farmers and contractors who are quite literally providing and putting the food on our tables, and there is €100 million extra for our hauliers, who are transporting our goods, food, commodities and people across the country. We are also supporting people directly with the reduction in overall fuel prices, whether it is the 32 cent, 27 cent, or the significant reduction in marked green diesel. All of this is because we appreciate and understand that while we need to continue to invest in our infrastructure and to spend money on our schools, hospitals, and directly on supports people need, we also need to invest in the here and now, and acknowledge that people are in a very difficult position because of the war in Iran, the conflict in Ukraine, and because of what has happened post Covid. All of this cumulatively has put immense stress and pressure on people. That does not mean that every single cent that is being spent is not being spent well and wisely. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-07/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-07