Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The national development plans were introduced in 1989 on the recommendation of the EU to ensure an evidence based approach for prioritising projects to guarantee the taxpayers value for money. With the publication of the National Development Plan 2006, this evidence-based approach was diminished. The NDP which the Minister's Government has published displays the same deficiencies. The Irish Planning Institute stated that Project 2040 choices send mixed messages about evidence-based planning with its president stating that good planning is evidence based. Does the Minister believe the Government's planning is sufficiently evidence based and is it good enough that a plan committing €116 billion lacks sufficient planning?

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