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Enda Kenny says today's measures do not overlap with the €17 billion capital programme the government had already adopted. Stephen Kilkenny

Government's €2.25 billion stimulus plan hopes to create 13,000 jobs

A major programme of motorway upgrades, as well as spending in justice, health and education, will begin next year.

THE GOVERNMENT has this afternoon announced details of an ambitious €2.25 billion economic stimulus package hoping to create up to 13,000 jobs in the construction sector and give a boost to the economy.

The measures, approved by Cabinet this morning, include the approval of a new bespoke campus for Dublin Institute of Technology at Grangegorman – to begin enabling works next year, with construction underway in 2016 – as well as a programme of road constructions and education investment.

The two-phase programme will be funded from a variety of sources including the National Pension Reserve Fund, investment from the European Investment Bank, public private partnerships, a “substantial proportion” of the proceeds from the sale of state assets, and the auctioning of the next National Lottery licence.

In what the government will hope is a significant step on the path to economic independence, none of the measures in the new package of proposals are to be funded by cash from the EU-IMF bailout arrangement.

The first phase, comprising of €1.4 billion, will be channelled into projects which “meet key infrastructural needs”, including a €280 million programme of school-building in two ‘bundles’ across the country over the next six years.

Over half of that investment, €850 million, will be invested in the motorway network including upgrades to the M11 including a bypass at Enniscorthy, as well as 57km of works on the N17 and N18 to bypass Clarinbridge, Claregalway and Tuam to begin within two years.

A further 12km orbital route around Galway, bypassing the city – akin to the M50 project around Dublin – is also planned, but is currently stalled due to legal proceedings.

€190 million will be invested in a new State Pathology laboratory, divisional Garda headquarters and new courthouses in Cork, Waterford and Mullingar, while in the health sector, up to 20 new primary care centres will be built at a cost of €115 million.

Public projects with private investment

A large number of the plans, predominantly those in transport, are earmarked for the Public-Private Partnership model, meaning private investment will also be sought to help the construction costs.

This model means, however, that the government will spread the cost of building each project over the lifetime of each asset – with Brendan Howlin saying the measures announced today were likely to reach a peak annual cost of about €140 million.

Other stalled infrastructure projects such as the DART Underground and Metro North projects do not feature in the latest plans.

Enda Kenny this afternoon stressed that the projects in the latest package did not overlap with those of the earlier €17 billion capital programme, and that today’s measures were all new announcements.

The Taoiseach said this was largely due to developments at EU level regarding the European Investment Bank and the proceeds from the sale of state assets.

Kenny warned that the programme would not be a catch-all solution to resolving the jobs crisis, however, saying fiscal discipline and strategies to revive the domestic economy were also needed to bring about a sustainable recovery.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the aim of the programme was “to boost activity in the domestic economy while also improving Ireland’s infrastructure”, adding that job creation was Ireland’s key objective and formed the focus of today’s plan.

Read: New DIT campus at Grangegorman to be part of €2bn stimulus package

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84 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute gerard carey
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    Dec 1st 2018, 8:35 PM

    Load of bollox

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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Dec 1st 2018, 8:36 PM

    @gerard carey: * bullocks

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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Dec 1st 2018, 9:09 PM

    @Pixie McMullen: Steers.

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    Mute Jonny Chip
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 12:49 PM

    @Michael Lynch: herd

    1
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    Mute Ron Noco
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    Dec 1st 2018, 9:57 PM

    Cow tipping is a made-up tv fable! … good luck sneaking up on a cow and pushing it over

    194
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    Mute Pat Conners
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    Dec 1st 2018, 11:20 PM

    @Ron Noco: but what if you get it in a head lock first

    37
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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Dec 1st 2018, 10:19 PM

    You scored 7 out of 10!
    Solid performance

    But 3 / 4 of those questions had nothing to do with cattle?

    134
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    Mute Graham Light
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    Dec 1st 2018, 9:04 PM

    Sure thats nothing in the 80s I got to go onto “Jim’ll fix it” and milk a cow but I had to do it blindfolded

    159
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    Mute Greg Blake
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 9:04 AM

    @Graham Light: Jim moo much?

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    Mute RJ
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    Dec 1st 2018, 9:19 PM

    When was the charging bull erected in New YORK. LOL. Poor journalist that thought up this farming quiz

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    Mute Diarmuid Hunt
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    Dec 1st 2018, 9:21 PM

    @RJ: Does the title say farming quiz?

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    Mute Elma Phudd
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    Dec 1st 2018, 9:00 PM

    6/10… over the moon.

    39
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    Mute The Bull McCabe
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    Dec 1st 2018, 8:55 PM

    My cows can’t read

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    Mute Robc
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    Dec 1st 2018, 8:59 PM

    9/10. Ben and jerry got me, stupid name for a cow

    127
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    Mute Mark Fitzmaurice
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    Dec 1st 2018, 9:15 PM

    10 out of 10. I literally can’t believe it

    26
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    Mute Alex Kemp
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    Dec 1st 2018, 11:28 PM

    @Mark Fitzmaurice: ‘s not butter?!…

    44
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    Mute John the Baptist
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 7:49 AM

    @Mark Fitzmaurice:
    literally???

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    Mute Greg Blake
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 9:08 AM

    @Mark Fitzmaurice: same, but honestly , only because twice 1 hit answers while scrolling and a wild guess on Wall St bull. So really 7, still ok.

    1
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    Mute Jonathan Power
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 5:25 AM

    It’s amazing how little people know about farming. I had a friend over from California before and geez they mustn’t get out much over there. She asked me driving through the mountains in Donegal why do the sheep the ewes have colored backs?

    I looked at her funny and said ‘that’s so the farmer knows that the ram got his end away with the female’ well you wanna see the dirty look she gave me. What else could I say

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    Mute John Gilsenan
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 1:05 AM

    5 out of 10 and I was raised on a farm, what a load of Dung

    18
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    Mute Eddie McGrath
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    Dec 1st 2018, 10:08 PM

    Only steers and queers come from Texas, private Cowboy! And you don’t look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down.

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    Mute Greg Blake
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 9:09 AM

    @Eddie McGrath: time to watch the movie again, Pile.

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    Mute Peadar Mindyourownbuisness
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 2:16 PM

    Fresians and Holstein fresians are different. The common ones in Ireland are fresians

    11
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    Mute Greg Blake
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 9:03 AM

    I love the coffee shop rude cow one, that should be a thing.

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    Mute D O'S
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 3:09 PM

    Is the religious answe correct? I thoughf it was Hinduism and not Islam.

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    Mute jmc1189
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    Dec 1st 2018, 11:19 PM

    10 out of 10 wacky I have to say lol

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    Mute Dave Walsh
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 1:16 AM

    Cock and bull shtoorryyy shammm.

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    Mute Paul O Faolain
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 6:09 AM

    I got 3 right,not vert good

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    Mute Louise Hannon Fotos
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    Dec 3rd 2018, 12:11 PM

    Pushing over a half tonne cow. Even if it is sleeping and you weight 160 kgs ain’t possible. Lol What ejit thought that up ?

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    Mute G to the de B
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    Dec 2nd 2018, 11:43 PM

    How much do I know about cows and bulls?
    3 correct, in other words, not MOOch.

    1
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