Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 316: To ask the Minister for Finance the shortfall in the expenditure to date in the BMW region under the NDP in the different operational programmes; and the way in which he intends to make up this shortfall in spending in that region over the remainder of the NDP. [22636/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The table below sets out the indicative expenditure profiles and the expenditure reported to the NDP-CSF monitoring committee at its most recent meeting for each operational programme for the border, midland and west, BMW, region for the period January 2000 to December 2004. In the case of measures funded by the Structural Funds, expenditure has been profiled for each year from 2000 to 2006, even though spending on these measures will continue to the end of 2008 in the BMW region. The expenditure profiles were set in 2000 when the operational programmes were prepared.

Overall progress on delivering the NDP has been improving with some €36.2 billion of expenditure incurred nationally at the end of December 2004. This compares with €28 billion of expenditure at the end of December 2003. With respect to expenditure in the BMW region, total expenditure reported to the NDP-CSF monitoring committee amounted to some €9.6 billion or 76% of profiled expenditure for the period January 2000 to December 2004. In 2004 just over €1 billion was spent on the key economic and social infrastructure programme in the BMW region. This represented 96% of projected expenditure for the year 2004 with total expenditure at nearly 90% of projected levels for the period January 2000 to December 2004. In the national roads programme, €168 million more was spent in the BMW region in 2004 than in 2003. This attests to the continued significant improvement in investment in the region. In the housing programme, expenditure in the BMW region from January 2000 to December 2004 reached 120% of projected expenditure for the period. Expenditure on the health programme over the same period amounted to 99% of forecast.

With respect to the performance of the productive sector operational programme, expenditure is considerably behind the original targets set in 1999 in both regions due to a combination of factors. Demand for some of the schemes under this programme and the level of funding expected from the private sector did not materialise as initially anticipated. The original expenditure forecasts and the regional breakdown of this expenditure were set at unrealistic levels in the light of activity in the area since the NDP was launched in 1999.

Performance of both regional operational programmes remains disappointing due mainly to the lack of demand for a range of schemes, particularly in the agriculture sector, and the lateness of some measures to begin spending. Good progress is evident with respect to expenditure on local infrastructure, microenterprise support and social inclusion. Expenditure on the employment and human resource development operational programme is broadly consistent in both regions with performance in both regions close to 95% of the original expenditure targets for the period 2000 to 2004.

European Structural Funds are profiled to ensure consistency with the EU budget commitments of such funds to each operational programme for each year of the NDP. However, expenditure under the EU-funded elements of the operational programmes will continue until the end of 2008. Therefore, expenditure which will occur in the years 2007 and 2008 must be considered when viewing the rate of progress on the measures supported by the Structural Funds.

The responsibility of my Department is to ensure that resources are made available to meet the Government's priorities and to secure full drawdown of Ireland's allocation of Structural Funds. To date, the level of Exchequer resources made available under the NDP has been greater than originally profiled. It is my objective that as major projects are completed more funds will become available over the remainder of the NDP for investment in the BMW region so that progress can be made on rectifying the existing imbalance.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 317: To ask the Minister for Finance the percentage of multi-annual capital envelopes expenditure which has been earmarked for the BMW region from 2006. [22637/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The five-year, multi-annual capital envelope for the period 2005-09 amounts to €36.3 billion, of which €32.6 billion is Exchequer funded and €3.7 billion is PPP funded. The envelope provision is not broken down by region. I am not, therefore, in a position to say how much of it will be expended in the BMW region over the period from 2006. This is a matter for individual Ministers and Departments who generally have delegated sanction to approve projects within the overall programme amount as approved by Government. The Deputy may, therefore, wish to contact individual Departments for the information sought in the question.

I have separately, in a reply to Question No. 316 from the Deputy, set out the estimated level of spend, to date, in the BMW region under the national development plan, 2000-06.