Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The current capital programme is the second largest ever to be rolled out in the State. The money that has been set aside will be spent on capital projects throughout the country. As I outlined in my reply, a new form of public works contract is now in place which places an onus on the builder to assume a greater degree of the risk associated with particular projects. As they familiarise themselves with this new system, it has been taking consultancy firms an additional three months to put together their plans. A workshop was held in Tullamore at which contractors were told precisely what is required under the new formal contract. There have been teething problems but all the money set aside for major capital projects will be spent on those projects. There will be a carryover of some of that money into 2010 but all the projects announced in 2009 will be covered by the Estimate given to me at the beginning of the year.

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