Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

——will form an intrinsic part of our central planning mechanism.

National Development Plan 2000-2006

Under the current national development plan ending next year there have been unprecedented levels of investment in our economic and social infrastructure. This investment is delivering real outputs improving the quality of life for our citizens. Investment in roads will see the completion of more than 70 major schemes by the end of the plan with a major focus on new motorway and dual carriageway roads linking key population centres. We have significantly enhanced public transport in the greater Dublin area through investment in suburban rail, DART, quality bus corridors and the Luas, a totally new fixed line system with a capacity of 20 million passengers per year. We have reversed years of neglect of our national rail system by investing €655 million in making our national network safe. Investment in social and affordable housing by the end of the plan will have delivered some 56,000 new units. Investment in child care under the plan will have created about 30,000 new places by end 2006. There have been other major enhancements in the quality of infrastructure in areas such as water services, broadband, education and health.

Transport 21 was launched a month ago with a ten-year roll-out horizon and a €34.4 billion investment cost, which I indicated I was prepared to consider when I delivered my first Budget Statement last year. This is an unprecedented commitment on the part of the Government and recognises the importance of a world-class public infrastructure in securing the competitiveness of the economy and enhancing the economic and social gains made here since we took office.

Today's budget underpins that commitment and sets out the capital funds allocated to transport over each of the next five years. Next year's allocation will get Transport 21 off to an excellent start. We will see the continued roll-out of the motorway programme and construction of more bypasses across the country. Work will begin on the building of a new docklands railway station and the Kildare rail route upgrade. New rolling stock will be delivered and there will be further investment in regional airports. Work will also commence on the Luas extension to Cherrywood. Planning and design work on the western rail corridor will get under way as the start of the process leading to its reopening. Planning of other major transport infrastructure projects will also be advanced. The new transport authority will be established to implement Transport 21 in the greater Dublin area and critically——

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