Joan Burton
Question:177 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Finance the progress made to date regarding the implementation of the national development plan. [5354/03]
Written Answers - National Development Plan.
Trevor Sargent
Question:181 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Finance the progress to date in implementing the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1880/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 181 together.
The most recent progress report for the National Development Plan 2000-2006, which was presented to the NDP-CSF monitoring committee on 29 November last, illustrates that the plan is generally achieving good financial progress. Cumulative expenditure under the national development plan to the end of June 2002, the latest figure available, is over €15.4 billion. It is estimated that expenditure to the end of 2002 will total almost €20 billion.
NDP Exchequer investment in the key area of economic and social infrastructure, ESIOP, is well ahead of target. Taking account of the 2003 NDP capital provisions, including the budget day addition of €209 million, it is estimated that by the end of 2003 ESIOP Exchequer investment will be €12.2 billion almost €1.9 billion more than profiled. I acknowledged in my Budget Statement that cost increases have impacted adversely on the output and timescale of the NDP infrastructure programme but nonetheless significant physical activity is in progress under the programme, including some projects unprecedented in scale and size.
As regards the rest of the NDP, the employment and human resources development operational programme is making good progress and cumulative expenditure is expected to be about €6 billion by the end of 2002. The productive sector and regional operational programmes are behind target levels due to the downturn in the global economy and factors such as delays in state aids approval from the EU and the impact of the foot and mouth crisis. Preparations for the mid-term review of the national development plan are well under way. The mid-term evaluators for each of the operational programmes have been appointed and the overall NDP-CSF evaluators will be appointed in March. These evaluations will form the basis of the mid-term review of the plan as a whole and this will be completed towards the end of this year.