Plan could create 270,000 jobs, says Cowen

THE GOVERNMENT is to prioritise education, enterprise, environmental services and public transport in its revised spending plan announced yesterday.

Under the Infrastructure Investment Priorities 2010-2016, the areas of reduced priority include housing, road building, health and agriculture.

Headline items to have been put on hold include the reopening of the Navan railway line and extensions to existing Luas lines, after the opening of the Cherrywood extension in October. These include the Dublin city-centre link and the extension from Cherrywood to Bray. Planning will continue for new routes.

The Tuam to Claremorris section of the Western Rail Corridor is also to be put on hold while little new road building will take place outside sections of routes from Dublin and Cork to Waterford. The proposed prison at Thornton Hall is also being put on hold while “ghost” housing estates are to be leased as social housing.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said Enterprise Ireland and the IDA were targeting more than 270,000 new jobs in the period.

Specifically the new investment programme proposes:

TRANSPORT

While emphasis is to switch from road building to public transport, some €6 billion is needed to make final payments for the major inter-urban motorways which are to be completed this year. New road building will be restricted to the remainder of the “Atlantic corridor” between Galway and Cork, and routes to Rosslare port from Dublin and Cork.

Some €5.7 billion will include provision for Metro North and Dart Underground – subject to further approval from Cabinet – while supports for regional airports are to be reviewed in light of improved regional road and rail links.

A “small level” of funding is to be required for regional ports after which they will be funded from user charges.

ENVIRONMENT HERITAGE and LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Some €8.562 billion is to be invested by 2016 with €4.5 billion in social housing. This compares with more than €7 billion in the six years to 2009.

Some €3.4 billion is to be invested in water services and €200 million in heritage and architectural protection. A further €200 million is earmarked for local services such as fire and emergency services while €100 million will be invested in waste infrastructure.

EDUCATION and SKILLS

In excess of €4 billion will create an extra 70,000 primary school places – half of them in new schools. Some 15,000 additional places will be provided at secondary level and €650 million will be spent improving higher education infrastructure.

ENTERPRISE, TRADE and INNOVATION

About €3.8 billion is to be provided with €2.4 billion for science, technology and innovation programmes with an emphasis on commercialisation of research efforts.

Science Foundation Ireland will fund more than 330 principal-investor-led research teams and there will be nine new applied competence centres.

A €500 million innovation fund has been earmarked to attract international venture capital companies.

HEALTH AND CHILDREN

Investment of €2.8 billion will encompass four main programmes – acute hospitals/major facilities, primary community and continuing care, ICT, childcare – and a number of smaller programmes.

The investment will cover in excess of €1.6 billion to fund the development of acute hospital facilities. A figure of €780 million will be invested in primary community and continuing care.

In excess of €400 million will fund other important programmes. In addition, development of primary, community and continuing care facilities will be funded through the leasing of newly developed primary care centres.

AGRICULTURE

In excess of €1.5 billion will be invested including more than €600 million for on-farm investment and the development of the food industry.

Some €600 million will be invested in forestry while support to other programmes, in particular, the fisheries industry will exceed €300 million.

COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY and NATURAL RESOURCES

In excess of €1.2 billion in capital spending is designed to leverage the estimated €20 billion capital investment in energy and telecommunications infrastructure from the private and semi-State sector.

A rural broadband scheme has been devised to provide coverage to area not covered by commercial companies by the end of 2012.

OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS

€1 billion will be invested including €480 million for investment in flood-relief schemes and €400 million for investment in capital works projects.

Some €50 million is for investment in cultural infrastructure in order to protect national heritage.

TOURISM, CULTURE, SPORT

Investment will include €800 million with €370 million in sports programmes to support community development and to promote health benefits for the general population. In excess of €150 million is for national cultural institutions with some €190 million to be invested in tourism-related infrastructure. More than €100 million will be invested in film and audio-visual content development and production programmes.