Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Finance the expenditure incurred under each operational programme in the Border midlands western region for each of the years 2000 to date in 2008; the original commitment by him to these programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21228/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Development Plan/Community Support Framework (NDP/CSF) 2000-2006 was an integrated investment plan and strategy for economic and social development for Ireland. It involved significant investment in infrastructure — such as roads, public transport, water and waste services — in health services, social housing, education, industry and rural development.

The Plan was implemented through six operational programmes in the Border, Midlands and Western Region. These were the Economic and Social Investment Operational Programme (ESIOP), Employment and Human Resources Development Operational Programme (EHRDOP), Productive Sector Operational Programme (PSOP), Border, Midlands and Western Operational Programme (BMW OP), PEACE Operational Programme and Technical Assistance (administrative support) Operational Programme (TA OP). It should be noted that expenditure under the Plan has in the main been completed except for EU Co-financed measures which can continue until the end of 2008 under EU Rules. Therefore, a complete picture of expenditure in the BMW region will not be available until the full year expenditure data for 2008 is reported in the second quarter of 2009.

The following table sets out the original forecasts and the expenditure incurred in each operational programme in the region. As can be seen from the table, total expenditure incurred in the BMW region to the end of 2007 under the NDP/CSF 2000-2006 was over €15.3 billion. However, there has been some over-performance and under-performance of expenditure taking place within and between the programmes. The main difficulties being a large demand led component that did not materialise and a lower than expected private sector involvement rather than a lack of Exchequer resources. The principal reasons are well known at this stage and reflect a slower rate of expenditure as a result of the impact of the slowdown in economic activity in 2000-02 — the early years of the Programmes — and the outbreak of foot and mouth disease which meant that businesses and the agriculture sector were not in a position to put forward sufficient, suitable investment plans in those early years to avail of funding and a lower drawdown of funding for Research and Development projects.

It should be noted that national development planning is an ongoing process with investment on regional development continuing under the NDP 2007-13. The BMW region will also receive an EU Structural Funds allocation of €458 million under the programming round for 2007-2013.