Total Investment of £40.558 billion is planned, at 1999 prices, during the period 2000-2006. Some £4.7 billion will come from the EU, with the rest coming from the Exchequer and private sector investment.
Regional Breakdown
Just over £27 billion will be invested in the South and East and £13.56 billion in the Border, Midlands and West. As the population of the Border, Midlands and West is smaller, the investment per capita there is just over £14,000, compared to £10,250 in the South and East.
Regional Development
More balanced regional development is a "fundamental objective". It aims to ease congestion in the main cities and build up infrastructure in less-developed areas. A small number of regional urban growth centres will be targeted.
Infrastructure
Total investment on economic and social infrastructure will be £17.6 billion, with £12.9 billion in the South and East region and £4.7 billion in the Border, Midlands and West.
Roads
A key infrastructure target is roads, where £4.7 billion will be spent. Main roads from Dublin to the Border, Galway to Dublin, Cork to Dublin, Limerick to Dublin and Waterford to Dublin will be upgraded to motorway or improved dual/carriageway standard. Other national primary routes will also be improved, the M50 around Dublin will be completed and so will the Dublin Port Access Tunnel. National secondary routes will also be improved.
Dublin Public Transport
In Dublin, Luas will be completed and there will be major investment in suburban rail, including new DART and diesel cars, the upgrading of lines and new stations at Intel, Lucan North and Ashington. The Dublin bus service will also be improved through an expanded network, new buses, five new quality bus corridors and additional park-and-ride facilities.
Regional Public Transport
Significant investment in the rail infrastructure outside Dublin, including rail safety and mainline rail renewal. Public transport in Cork city, Limerick, Galway and Waterford will also be improved, as will the regional bus service.
Social Housing
The total allocation under this heading is £6 billion. The plan involves 35,000 additional local authority units and an increase for the voluntary housing sector from 500 to 4,000 units a year. The money will also be used to provide the related infrastructural investment.
Employment
A total of just under £10 billion is allocated under this heading, with £7.1 billion allocated to the South and East and £2.8 billion in the Border, Midlands and West. This allocation is only up 0.3 per cent from the amount allocated in 1999. The money will be spent on early education and school completion.
Productive Sector
Industry will attract investment of £4.5 billion, with a significant increase in spending on research and development and industry. The money will also provide support for foreign investment in the Border, Midland and Western region. There is also a commitment that IDA Ireland will seek to ensure that half of all new jobs from greenfield projects will be in the this region. There will be a major increase in research and development to strengthen third-level institutions and to provide support for research in agriculture, food, marine and the environment.
Regional operational programmes
Two separate programmes outline local spending plans in the two regions. Over £2.6 billion is available for the BMW programme and almost £3.8 billion for the S&E region. In the BMW region some £1.7 billion will be spent on non-national roads, while £220 million will be spent on social inclusion measures such as childcare, crime prevention, youth services and family support. In the South and East region some £900 million will be spent on non-national roads, with over £1 billion going on social inclusion.
Peace and cross-Border
A separate operational programme has been set up to draw down £80 million of structural funds under the PEACE programme in the Border counties. It aims for closer economic co-operation between North and South. These include energy, communications and e-commerce as well as agriculture.
Education
£5.35 billion will be spent on education as part of the plan. The education section places a heavy emphasis on people who are disadvantaged or living in deprived areas. It also includes a £1.6 billion investment in schools at all levels and an additional £550 million for research and development in third-level institutions.
How spending will increase
Annual 1999
Average spending %
Under plan level increase
£billions£billions
Economic & Social Infrastructure - 2.992 1.931 54.9
Employment & Human Resources - 1.565 1.560 0.3
Productive Investment - 1.227 1.054 16.4
Peace Programme - .020 .020
Total - 5.798 4.565 27.1