Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Dec 2001

Vol. 546 No. 5

Written Answers. - National Development Plan.

Derek McDowell

Question:

192 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the projects in the national development plan for which funding has been provided as part of the 2002 Abridged Estimates or announced in the Budget Statement; the level of funding provided; the nature of the works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32366/01]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

The national development plan provides for a total investment of approximately £24 billion, 30 billion, at current prices in the development of economic and social infrastructure over the period 2000 to 2006. Of the total planned infrastructural investment, approximately £19 billion, 24 billion, is for infrastructure programmes coming within the remit of my Department, including national and non-national roads, water and waste water, housing, waste management and urban and village development.

The abridged Estimates for my Department for 2002, published on 15 November, together with the additional allocations announced in the budget, provide for increased spending by my Department in 2002 of just under 9% over the 2001 revised Estimates provision including a Supplementary Estimate. The additional 300 million that was provided for infrastructure programmes in the budget brings my Department's provision for capital spending for 2002 to almost 2.75 billion, which represents an increase of 12.5% on this year's final capital provision. Taking account of the already unprecedented volume of investment in NDP infrastructure programmes, this level of funding will ensure a continuation of activity at a high level under these programmes and reflects the Government's commitment to the implementation of the NDP.

The additional funding for national roads brings the total 2002 provision for the national roads improvement and maintenance programme to over 1 billion, or in excess of 2.7 million per day. This maintains investment in the national road network at a very high level – more than three times higher than the 1997 level of 324 million. This investment will fund building, planning and design projects for the upgrading of the national roads network.

Investment in water and waste water services will reach a level of almost 490 million next year, which will fund continued progress on major waste water schemes in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway as well as protection and upgrading of rural water supplies. The budget also saw an increase in the provision for capital grants for waste management to just under 30 million which will provide funding in 2002 for a waste management capital infrastructure investment programme that I intend to introduce in the near future.

The budget also provided an additional 146 million for social housing, bringing the overall Exchequer provision for this purpose to 1.1 billion. This will ensure that some 6,000 local authority houses will be completed or acquired next year. The detailed programming, planning and implementation of individual infrastructure projects is the responsibility of local authorities and, in the case of national roads, the National Roads Authority.