James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to future proof the economy through social investment spending initiatives with an aim of preventing economic stagnation and growing inequality due to the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17177/21]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Since the beginning of this pandemic, Government has committed significant resources to ensuring that our society is in the best possible place to withstand the impacts of Covid-19. Since March 2020, a provision of over €28 billion has been made available for expenditure measures to support our people, businesses and key public services.

This substantial funding provision across 2020 and 2021 is a result of the exceptional circumstances arising from this pandemic. The focus has been on implementing measures that will support our people and businesses experiencing extreme difficulties and on ensuring that our health service has the resources to respond to the crisis. These supports will help sustain our economy, to ensure that we are as well positioned as possible when it is safe to reopen fully.

Key measures implemented include the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the wage subsidy schemes. In the 12-month period to the end of March this year, €6¾ billion had been paid to recipients of the PUP with total expenditure of €5.2 billion on the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. This represents real cash for workers whose jobs have been impacted by the crisis.

Further to this, over €1 billion has been allocated to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment across 2020 and 2021 to provide assistance to businesses, including through liquidity supports and restart grants.

Looking forward, the Government has committed that there will be no cliff edge at the end of June to the PUP and the EWSS and will seek to ensure that the necessary measures are in place to support the economy, workers and society to recover from the Covid-19 crisis.

In addition, recognising the important role improvements in our State’s infrastructure can play in enhancing economic capacity and promoting balanced regional development, the Programme for Government committed to bringing forward the planned review of the National Development Plan (NDP) from 2022 and to using it to set out an updated NDP for the period out to 2030. My Department recently published the Phase 1 Report - Review of the NDPfollowing a detailed process of engagement. This report, which outlines the various strands of the review process, provides an evidence base to inform capital investment decisions to support economic, social, environmental and cultural development all across the country.