Vol. 533 No. 6
294 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the progress made in the development of public private partnerships in the context of the strategy for national roads as outlined in the National Development Plan. [9456/01]
The National Development Plan, 2000-2006, envisages significant private sector investment in national road development: some £1 billion of the £4.4 billion provided for national road improvements in the NDP is to be contributed by public private partnership financing. In addition to the three pilot national roads projects already identified in the plan, the National Roads Authority has announced a further eight PPP schemes for the national road network. These new schemes, together with the pilot projects, will involve total estimated investment of over £1,000 million, with a potential private finance input of some £700 million, based on user tolls.
In accordance with the Roads Act, 1993, it is a matter for the National Roads Authority to promote the detailed programming of the work required for the NDP and to manage in co-operation with local authorities – and the private sector in the context of public private partnerships – the planning, design and implementation of individual road development projects.
