Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 144: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of the estimated €34 billion cost of Transport 21 that has already been spent each year since 2006; the amount of the estimated €34 billion of Transport 21 that has been spent on public private partnership payments since 2006 and to date in 2010 and has been earmarked for future public private partnership payments over the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29101/10]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Transport if the estimated cost of Transport 21 is still €34 billion over the life time of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29102/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 145 together.

Under Transport 21 Exchequer funding for transport infrastructure amounting to almost €9 billion has been provided as follows over the last four years:

Expenditure in 2006 - €1.937 billion

Expenditure in 2007 - €2.357 billion

Expenditure in 2008 - €2.504 billion

Expenditure in 2009 - €2.124 billion

In addition to this, in excess of €2 billion of private investment in national roads has been secured. The Department's capital allocation for 2010 is €2,081 billion.

In respect of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), since 2008 funding has been provided from my Departments current budget to cover operational payments for the NRA's first roads programme as follows:

2008 €7,936 million

2009 €7,936 million

2010 €51 million (allocation)

To date this year just over €5 million has been provided to the NRA for PPP operational payments. I am advised by the NRA that in 2007 they made operational payments of €4.6 million in respect of one project.

The management of PPP contracts for roads projects is a matter for the NRA having regard to Government guidelines and oversight by my Department. Provision for PPP payments will be made each year in the annual estimates exercise in line with amounts notified by the NRA arising from the respective contracts.

The Transport 21 investment framework runs until 2015. However, because of the changed economic circumstances, it is now likely that not all of the projects originally identified in Transport 21 will be completed by 2015. Therefore transport investment priorities have been reviewed. These priorities, which are set out in the Renewed programme for Government, are as follows: Future national road priorities-

?the progression of the Atlantic Road Corridor, and

?the improvement of other key strategic routes.

Public transport priority -

?increased long term capacity, particularly through

– the construction of Metro North

– the construction of DART Underground and the implementation of the associated electrification, signalling and rolling stock investments. It is also a priority to continue planning other projects for earliest possible delivery when the economic situation improves. No projects have been cancelled and Transport 21 continues to provide the strategic framework for capital spending on transport infrastructure into the future.