Jan O'Sullivan
Question:81 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement on the progress made to date regarding the implementation of the national development plan. [9726/03]
Written Answers - National Development Plan.
Progress under the National Development Plan 2000-06 – NDP – is reported to the NDP-CSF monitoring committee on a bi-annual basis and the most recent progress report for the NDP was presented to the NDP-CSF monitoring committee on 29 November last. This progress report 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 this year. 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.
The progress reports for each of the NDP's operational programmes are currently being compiled and they will be presented to each of the monitoring committees later this month. These progress reports will relate to progress under the NDP to the end of 2002 and can be provided following consideration and approval by each of their respective operational programme monitoring committees. A comprehensive progress report covering all of the NDP's operational programmes will be considered by the NDP-CSF monitoring committee in the middle of June.