Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 November 2020
290. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to put in place the programme for Government commitments to regional development (details supplied); the way in which he plans to address regional inequality; if a commitment will be given to a policy of positive discrimination in the upcoming review of the National Development Plan 2018-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38753/20]
View answerBalanced regional development is a key priority of this Government and this priority is at the heart of Project Ireland 2040. This strategic plan includes the National Planning Framework (NPF), which sets the overarching spatial strategy for the next twenty years, along with the National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2027, which sets out the ten year capital and infrastructure investment strategy of €116 billion.
Ensuring close alignment between the two is necessary in order to accommodate a projected 1 million additional people by 2040 across Ireland's three regional assembly areas. The plan aims to ensure that 75% of growth takes place outside Dublin. One of the objectives of the review of the National Development Plan, which I announced recently, is to ensure the alignment of investment with that strategy in order to promote regional development as planned.
Project Ireland 2040 provides an opportunity to successfully accommodate that growth by refocusing investment in our rural towns and villages through the support of the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and by ensuring the cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford grow at twice the pace of Dublin through the support of the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund. By delivering compact growth within our rural villages, our towns and our cities it will become possible to deliver more infrastructure to more people e.g. public transport, broadband, housing, health and a broad range of social, cultural, sporting and community services.
The three Regional Assemblies are responsible for co-ordinating, promoting and supporting the strategic planning and sustainable development of their regions, by formulating Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES). The strategy for the Northern and Western Region provides the opportunity for the priorities from the County Development Plans to be integrated into a regional investment plan which is expected to be a major driver of the implementation of the NPF.
A regional report on the North West has been published on the Project Ireland 2040 website. The report details the specific regional projects and programmes which are being planned and delivered in the North-West as part of the public investment detailed in Project Ireland 2040.
In addition, my Department publishes a major capital projects tracker, which sets out details of the key projects and programmes being implemented under the NDP, including the location of the projects where possible. The Tracker includes a number of major projects directly related to the Northern and Western region. The tracker currently focuses on projects and programmes with costs greater than €20 million. While it does not provide an exhaustive list of all capital expenditure, the list of projects serves to highlight the diverse range of infrastructural demands competing for the resources of the State.
