Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Finance the breakdown under each operational programme and for each year, for both the Border midland western and south east regions, of funding allocated and expended as sourced from the EU, the Exchequer and private sources separately in relation to the National Development Plan. [19175/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy is being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded directly to her.

Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Finance the breakdown of National Development Plan spending, on a yearly basis in each county within the Border midland western region. [19176/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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My Department generally monitors spending on the National Development Plan (NDP) on a regional basis, that is, the Border, Midlands and Western and the Southern and Eastern regions, from data received by the Operational Programme Managing Authorities.

The project implementing bodies do attribute spending at county level, but the data currently available to my Department from the bodies does not attribute the whole of the totals for the regions. Data for the period January 2000 to December 2002 represents approximately 80% of spending and is set out in the following table. Information for subsequent years, while available, represents a lower percentage of spending.

Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Finance the plans which are in place to make good the shortfall in non co-financed expenditure in the Border Midland Western region which will remain unspent at the end of 2006. [19177/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The National Development Plan (NDP) provides an indicative expenditure profile for each of the seven Operational Programmes for the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) and Southern and Eastern (S&E) Regions for each year 2000 to 2006. These Operational Programmes are: Economic and Social Infrastructure, Employment and Human Resources Development, Productive Sector, Border, Midlands and Western, Southern and Eastern, Technical Assistance and the Peace Programme.

The profiles for spending under each Operational Programme were set in 2000 when the Programmes were being prepared and to ensure consistency of reporting, have remained at that level. The funding requirements in the NDP are subject to a number of factors which, over time have implications for the physical level of output and impact on the level of funding required during the term of the Plan. Factors include, for example, the level of demand for schemes and for grants from the private sector, re-specification of projects, delays in the planning process and the performance of particular sectors such as the weakened tourism and agriculture sector.

For non co-financed measures in the BMW region to the end of 2005, the indicative profiles for public expenditure, including exchequer financed expenditure, is €11.9 billion and for private expenditure it is €1.67 billion. Based on the most recent information reported to my Department, exchequer and other public expenditure on these measures, to the end of 2005, stands at €9.7 billion representing 81% of original profile. Private expenditure on these measures to the end of 2005 stands at €418 million to the end of 2005, representing 25% of original profile.

Progress on the implementation of the NDP is subject to ongoing monitoring through the individual Operational Programme Monitoring Committees and the overarching NDP/CSF Monitoring Committee chaired by my Department. This Committee which monitors overall progress on the Plan, is comprised of a wide partnership of interests, including implementing Departments, the social partners, sectoral interests, and members of local authorities representing the regional assemblies. It is scheduled to meet on 25th May 2006 at which stage it will have considered the progress reports of the individual Operational Programmes for the period January 2000 to end December 2005. Following this meeting, my Department will be communicating with Departments to ensure they continue to prioritise spending in the BMW region.

National development planning and investment is an ongoing process and investment to achieve more balanced regional development is a key government priority. This has been underscored by the publication of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS). The implementation of the NSS, which sets out the Government strategy for achieving balanced regional development, will be a central element of the next National Development Plan (2007-2013) whose preparation is now under way. The new National Development Plan will build on the achievements of the current NDP and continue progress towards ensuring a more balanced distribution of development in the country.