Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 28 Nov 2001

Vol. 545 No. 2

Written Answers. - National Development Plan.

Michael D. Higgins

Question:

50 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Finance if he will clarify the comments he made on RTE radio on 9 November 2001 suggesting that the State may not have the money to carry out some of the infrastructural plans contained in the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29953/01]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

As the Deputy will be aware, the interview to which he refers was a wide ranging one, covering the whole spectrum of national and international economic developments. When questioned on the issue of the implications of the budgetary arithmetic for the NDP, I did not state that projects would be delayed. In relation to the infrastructure programme of the NDP, I said it would be my goal to be able to let them, the key elements of the NDP, proceed with the pace with which we have put them forward.

The NDP is a seven year programme. It specifically provided that year on year allocations may need to be modified in the context of the budgetary parameters and available resources. In relation to infrastructure, the economic and social infrastructure programme of the NDP, which sets down in current prices the indicative allocation of resources for each of the seven years of the plan, provided for total Exchequer and EU investment of 7.95 billion for the period 2000 to 2002. Based on the recently published abridged Estimates and the latest estimated outturns for 2000 and 2001 there will be a total Exchequer investment of some 8 billion over the first three years of the plan in the infrastructure programme, which is fully in line with that promised in the published operational programme.