Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 18 Oct 2001

Vol. 542 No. 4

Written Answers. - National Development Plan.

Beverley Flynn

Question:

69 Ms Cooper-Flynn asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the amount of money which has been allocated and spent to date by his Department in each of the BMW counties under the national development plan. [24623/01]

Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources (Mr. Fahey):

Public investment – that is, excluding private contribution – of more than £1 billion, 1.4 billion, has been provided under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 in respect of the marine and natural resources sectors. This investment is spread across the two regional operational programmes – BMW and south and east – the three inter-regional or sectoral operational programmes, the rural development programme and the cross-Border initiatives.

Public investment in the marine and natural resources sectors under the NDP in the BMW region amounts to £672 million, 852 million. A sum of £155 million, 197 million, has been provided in the BMW regional operational programme while indicative investment in those sectors in the BMW region under other NDP programmes amounts to some £517 million, 655 million.

The following table below gives details of the investment programmes relevant to the BMW region which are administered by my Department under all NDP programmes together with actual public expenditure to date.

Sector	Total Public Investment 2000-2006 (£m) (m)	Public Expenditure to Date(£m) (m)
Forestry Structural	£51 (64) *1	£5 (6) *1
Fisheries Supporting Measures	£9 (11) *1	£2 (3) *1
Fleet Renewal	£15 (19) *1	£4 (5) *1
Fishing Effort Adjustment	£3 (4) *1	0.001
Seafood Processing	£15 (19) *1	0.001
Seafood Marketing	£4 (5) *1	£0.5 (0.75) *1
Seafood Training	£6.5 (8) *1	£0.9 (1.26) *1
Fishery Harbours	£33 (42)	£5.6 (7)
Aquaculture	£15 (19)	0.00
Coast Protection	£17 (22) *1	£1.9 (2.4) *1
Angling	£23 (29)	0.00
Marine Tourism	£17 (21)	0.00
Marine RTDI	£26 (33) *1	£5.5 (7) *1
Forestry Training	£8 (10) *1	£0.5 (0.6) *1
Forestry Research	£6 (7.6) *1	£0.001 (0.002) *1
Seaports	£16 (20)	0.00
CAP Forestry	£406 (515) *1	£82 (104) *1
Cross Border Fishing & Aquaculture	£2.4 (3)	£0 (0)
Total	£672 (852)	£108 (137)

*1 Indicative figures only

It is not possible at this time and within the time available to provide a breakdown on a BMW county basis of expenditure to date by my Department under the NDP. My Department is at present rolling out the installation of an NDP computerised reporting system which will, among other matters, provide details of expenditure on a county basis. In any event much expenditure, such as that on marketing, training and RTDI, can only be attributed indicatively on a regional and county basis. I have, however, arranged, in respect of the fishery harbours and coast protection programmes, for details, on a BMW county basis, of actual public expenditure in 2000 and the 2001 approved programmes to be forwarded to the Deputy.

The investment under the NDP is without precedent in terms of its ambition, scope and level of resources. Many of the programmes in the marine and natural resources sectors provide a unique opportunity to promote balanced regional development given their peripheral and rural location. This is reflected in the fact that more than 65% of proposed public investment in these sectors under the NDP will be targeted at the BMW region.