Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Finance the schedule of presentation of programmes under the National Development Plan. [39173/06]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for Finance the plans in place by his Department within the new National Development Plan to rectify the €3.5 billion underspend in the Border Midland Western region under the current National Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38961/06]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 160: To ask the Minister for Finance his plans for road improvement investment under the new National Development Plan in view of the €500 million underspend on roads in the BMW region under the current National Development Plan and taking into account the current state of the roads in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38962/06]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 163: To ask the Minister for Finance his plans for funding under the next National Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38958/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 126, 160 and 163 together.

The National Development Plan 2007-2013, to be published in January next, will be a high level strategic document which will provide the framework for investment over the next seven years. The Plan will in particular seek to address the investment necessary to maintain national competitiveness and promote regional development within a sustainable economic and budgetary framework. Whilst the precise details of the Plan will have to await its publication it will focus on investment priorities and programmes in public, economic and social infrastructure including roads, public transport, environmental services, energy, housing, education, health, childcare and R&D. The Plan will also address investment in human capital, social inclusion and in enterprise development including agriculture, tourism and marine. The Plan will also address a number of horizontal themes including Regional Development, Environmental Sustainability, The Rural Economy, All-Island Co-operation and the promotion of Social Inclusion.

The Plan will set out indicative seven year allocations on a national basis in the key programme areas. The allocation of these indicative amounts at project level will generally be a matter for individual Ministers, Departments and implementing agencies as appropriate over the period of the Plan. Project level allocation will of course have to be consistent with the strategic goals of the NDP including maintaining national competitiveness, regional development, promotion of social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

The House will be aware of the general state of play in relation to expenditure under the current Plan in the BMW Region from previous debates and questions on the issue. The figures reported at the recent Monitoring Committee meetings indicate that some €11.1 billion or 82% of forecast Exchequer and EU expenditure had been incurred by the end of June 2006. This is a healthy implementation rate in view of the slow start up in some areas at the very beginning, the relatively disappointing response in certain demand led schemes and the fact that Exchequer spending in relation to Structural Fund Measures for the 2000-2006 period will in fact continue up to 2008 in accordance with EU Regulations. Based on the most recent information available to me from Monitoring Committee reports including their assessments of continuing spend under the current NDP, I expect that by the end of the programme period, the original forecasts for Exchequer and EU spending in the BMW region will have been realised in full.

An important objective of the new NDP will be the promotion of balanced regional development in line with the National Spatial Strategy (the NSS). The details of the strategy for regional development will have to await publication of the Plan. I am, nonetheless, confident that the level of ambition in the overall NDP investment envelope combined with a commitment to utilise this investment to implement the NSS will lead to a better balance in economic development.