Project Ireland 2040 review
Senator Coffey welcomed Project Ireland 2040 and argued it showed the need for coherent long-term planning. He suggested inviting the Minister responsible for the OPW to review previous decentralisation and land purchases under earlier plans.
The population of Ireland is going to increase by over 1 million people to 5.7 million people over the next ten to 20 years. That is going to create demand for additional services, jobs and infrastructure around the country. It is critical that we plan in a coherent and sustainable way for the future of our country. Now is the time to put that plan in place. That is why I welcome the launch of the Project Ireland 2040 national development plan last Friday. I commend the Minister and the Departments that put their forces together to map out a strategy and vision for Ireland in that plan. It is important that adequate time is given in the House for a full debate on the national development plan to outline the differences to those that cannot understand the failures of the previous national spatial strategy of 2002.
The strategy was ambitious for our country at the time but, unfortunately, the infrastructure and capital investment did not follow the strategy. That is why it failed. The difference this time is that there is a ten-year capital plan of over €116 billion being committed to enable the ambitious goals of the national development plan. I ask the Leader to make provision for a fulsome debate in the House on that plan.
Comment on this
I thank Senator Norris for the correction. At the time of the launch of the national spatial strategy, a decentralisation plan was launched by the Government of the time. Fianna Fáil announced various initiatives around the country where Departments were to be decentralised to the various constituencies. It would be timely to invite the Minister of State responsible for the Office of Public Works, OPW, to the House to review the plan. The OPW purchased many sites around the country and we should know, as a matter of public record, what happened to all those sites. Are they in use and what did they cost the taxpayer? I am aware of one in Dungarvan in County Waterford that had a substantial purchase cost, with the view to decentralising services to that site. It lies vacant and is not being used. It was an investment by the taxpayer at the time so we should review the decentralisation plan and learn from the mistakes of the past. We should get behind the new national development plan, Ireland 2040.