merrion street

Minister of State Brian Hayes today announced details of the Government’s next phase in delivering its €2.25bn stimulus package.

This May’s launch of the first package of Projects demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensure that the new Public-Private Partnership Programme will deliver labour intensive capital projects in the areas of schools, transport and primary care centres. Minister Hayes said that this reflected the need for investment to be 'focussed on the essential over the desirable. There are no trophy projects or complex engineering schemes'.

Responsive and sustainable investment is central to the next phase’s provision of 5,700 school places across the country. Similarly, and in partnership with the European Investment Bank, bringing together over 22,000 DIT students from 39 sites on one Campus aims to develop a national hub for research and enterprise. In addition to this national role, the Campus development will significantly contribute to the regeneration of the surrounding inner city quarter, and will provide a Business Support Programme targeting small local businesses.

Speaking at the National Convention Centre, Minister Hayes referred to the need of a ‘social clause’ to ensure:

As many of these jobs as possible are new jobs with people being taken off the live register to take up these jobs. I am looking at how we can do this in line with procurement rules and I aim to have this in place before the first tenders issue.

Read the full press release

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