Decisions on how to implement a £4.2 billion spending package for the southern and eastern region will be taken at a meeting in Waterford today. About a quarter of the money is to be spent on upgrading the non-national roads network. E-commerce infrastructure, waste disposal and urban renewal are other key elements. Over all £27 billion is to be spent in the region, which includes the cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.
Members of the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly's monitoring committee will decide today who should manage local schemes and the criteria for selecting projects. Under the regional operation programme spending will be under four broad headings: £2.4 billion for local infrastructure; £917 million for social inclusion; £505 million for local enterprise development; and £422 million for agricultural and rural development. The rest of the £27 billion will be managed by the Government on national projects in the region, such as roads.
Nearly £500 million has been allocated to waste management; £262 million is to be spent on culture, recreation and sport; £238 million on e-commerce and communications; and £88 million on urban and village renewal.
The social inclusion programme will see £295 million spent on local development, £248 million on childcare and £213 million on youth services. Micro-enterprises and tourism will be the biggest beneficiaries of the local enterprise programme.
The southern and eastern region comprises the counties which did not qualify for full Objective 1 status in the current round of EU structural funding. As well as the south-east, the region includes the south-west, mid-west and east coast with the exception of Louth.
Key elements of a development strategy for the region, endorsed by the assembly, include expanding Cork, Limerick and Waterford to alleviate congestion in Dublin.
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