Department of Transport underspent €200m in first six months of 2023

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said most of the underspend to the end of the second quarter is related to delays in public transport investment.

The Department of Transport underspent its budget by almost €200m in the first six months of this year, the majority of which concerns public transport projects and road safety.

The underspend of €100m in the second quarter comes after a failure to spend almost €100m at the end of the first quarter of this year.

The department had a target of €717.4m to spend from January 1 up to June 30. However, it has only spent €517.9m.

Spending on carbon reduction and public transport represents the biggest share of the underspend at €171.4m.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the bulk of the underspend to the end of the second quarter is related to delays in public transport investment.

Among those delays is the contract for the Cork Commuter Rail project which was signed on was signed on 30 June, delaying payment by about two months.

Mr Ryan said delays in the payments for a new bus fleet also contributed to the underspend.

“The fleet is expected to be tested and begin entering service this year and expenditure should increase by year-end,” he said.

Road safety

The amount spent on road safety and road networks also fell short by more than €25.3m.

The funding is allocated in part to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS). However, it is unclear how much has been allocated or spent by the road safety agencies so far this year.

The funds are also used to maintain existing road networks and to progress projects currently under construction and at various stages of planning.

Spending on active travel and greenways was €1.5m behind target.

The figures were released through a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD and Public Expenditure spokesperson Rose Conway-Walsh.

“It’s very disappointing in the context of the tragedies that we’ve had this summer and also with the issues that we’ve had with public transport across the length and breadth of the country, including our vast urban areas where public transport is very poor for many people, and we see huge underspends in delivering all of that,” said Sinn Féin TD and Transport spokesperson Martin Kenny.

It comes as Fine Gael TDs and senators raised concerns last week with Transport Minister Eamon Ryan about delayed investment in road projects across the country.

At a cabinet meeting this week, it is understood that Mr Ryan blamed a shortage of engineers as a contributing factor to the delays.

The Department of Transport, the RSA, and the MBRS have been contacted for comment in relation to budget allocation and spending.