Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2004
234 Ms Cooper-Flynn asked the Minister for Finance the breakdown of expenditure in percentage terms of the various programmes under the national development plan for both the BMW regions and the south and east region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31336/04]
View answerAn estimated €31 billion, some 87%, of the profiled expenditure for the period of the national development plan from January 2000 to the end of June 2004 has been incurred. The regional breakdown of this expenditure is €8.3 billion for the BMW region and €22.8 billion for the southern and eastern region, representing 75% and 92% of profiled expenditure respectively.
The following sets out the indicative regional breakdown of forecast expenditure in percentage terms for the operational programmes under the national development plan for both regions for January 2000 to June 2004. These indicative forecasts of expenditure were set in 1999 when the national development plan was published.
|
Operational Programme |
National (€m) |
BMW Region |
Southern and Eastern Region |
|
% |
% |
||
|
Economic and Social Infrastructure |
15,986 |
27 |
73 |
|
Employment and Human Resource Development |
9,621 |
29 |
71 |
|
Productive Sector |
4,393 |
36 |
64 |
|
BMW Regional |
2,270 |
100 |
— |
|
Southern and Eastern regional |
3,538 |
— |
100 |
|
Peace II |
127 |
100 |
— |
|
Technical Assistance |
8 |
38 |
62 |
|
Total |
35,943 |
31 |
69 |
The breakdown of actual expenditure incurred in percentage terms to June 2004 for each operational programme reported to the programme monitoring committees is set out in the following table.
|
Operational Programme |
National (€m) |
BMW Region |
Southern and Eastern region |
|
% |
% |
||
|
Economic and Social Infrastructure |
16,335 |
22 |
78 |
|
Employment and Human Resource Development |
8,819 |
29 |
71 |
|
Productive Sector |
2,024 |
24 |
76 |
|
BMW Regional |
1,508 |
100 |
— |
|
Southern and Eastern regional |
2,292 |
— |
100 |
|
Peace II |
116 |
100 |
— |
|
Technical Assistance |
8 |
40 |
60 |
|
Total |
31,102 |
27 |
73 |
The table indicates, with the exception of the economic and social infrastructure operational programme and the productive sector operational programme, the breakdown of expenditure between the two regions is broadly consistent with the original national development plan forecasts.
Expenditure is well behind target in the productive sector operational programme due to the fact that the original forecast and its regional breakdown were set at unrealistic levels in the light of activity in the area since the national development plan was launched in 1999. The economic and social infrastructure operational programme is the largest one and the key programme for national development plan investment in infrastructure. The BMW region is behind forecast spend under this operational programme because major infrastructure projects in the southern and eastern region, especially in the areas of roads and public transport, had to receive priority due to the major pressures on infrastructure in the region, notably in the greater Dublin area. The BMW region benefits from investment in transport, particularly in roads, in the southern and eastern region because transport links to the major ports and airports and national markets, particularly Dublin, in the region benefit the whole country.
It is my objective that as major projects in the southern and eastern region are completed, more funds will become available over the remainder of the national development plan for investment in infrastructure in the BMW region so that progress can be made on rectifying the existing imbalance.
