Vol. 555 No. 3
149 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Transport if he will place the consultant's report on the cost of the road building plans under the national development plan in the Oireachtas Library; if the report shows a shortfall of ?6.8 billion in funding; if he intends to publish a revised operational programme for the National Roads Authority in view of the cost escalation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18479/02]
The consultants' report ‘Evaluation of Investment in the Road Network', which was published recently, is available on the national development plan website www.ndp.ie or from the NDP-CSF evaluation unit, Frederick Buildings, South Frederick Street, Dublin 2. Telephone 01-6045333. Arrangements are also being made to place the report in the Oireachtas Library.
The cost of the national roads programme has increased for a range of reasons including construction cost inflation and higher land costs. The benefits of substantial capital allocations to NDP projects by government have consequently been eroded to an extent. However, I am pleased to note that the rate of construction price inflation is now abating from a peak of 12% per annum, over the period 1998 to 2000, to 9% in 2001 and a projected 5% in 2002. I expect this trend will continue in 2003.
Completion of the NDP programme will be dependent on funding levels and the prevailing budgetary and economic situation over the coming years. The Government is committed to strong promotion of the NDP national roads programme and to maintaining a high level of investment in the national road network. Already, the funding for national roads in the period 2000-02 is approximately 12% in excess of the planned NDP profile.
The programme outlined in the NDP remains a valid framework for upgrading our national road network and we are now considering how the programme can best be pursued having regard to the increased costs. A programme of this ambitious scale over a seven year period is inevitably subject to change and adjustment to take account of changing economic and budgetary conditions. The revision of the economic and social infrastructure operational programme would be premature in advance of the mid-term evaluation of the NDP which will be carried out in 2003.
