Chapter 3 of the national development plan recognises that the rapid pace of economic growth, the pattern of development and increasing urbanisation and centralisation of economic activity have raised issues in relation, inter alia, to infrastructural provision in facilitating and promoting development at regional and national level. In acknowledging these difficulties, the Government set out in the NDP how it proposes to achieve more balanced regional development in order to reduce the disparities between and within the regions and to develop the potential of both to contribute to the greatest possible extent to the continuing prosperity of the country.
A prerequisite for implementation of Government policy is the achievement of the macro-economic objectives on which the plan is based so that the necessary resources for investment can be made available. It will also require an integrated and flexible approach to the development and implementation of sectoral policies and co-ordinated investment in areas such as transport, education and housing.
The national development plan provides for a total investment of some £24 billion in infrastructure through the Economic and Social Infrastructure Operational Programme. On a per capita basis, the investment involved will amount to £7,658 in the BMW region and £6,566 in the southern and eastern region. This planned investment in infrastructure is the largest ever undertaken by the State and represents an average annual increase of 55% over 1999 levels, demonstrating the Government's proactive approach and commitment to upgrading the country's infrastructure.