The plan will bring investment on a scale never before seen, the Taoiseach said.
Flanked by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, and the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, Mr Ahern said the £40 billion investment between 2000 and 2006 would have have a "radical, transforming impact" on the lives of Irish people.
It would transform the State's infrastructure, promote regional development, build North-South co-operation and tackle social exclusion.
The main challenge, according to both Taoiseach and Tanaiste, will be actually implementing the plan. Both are on an implementation committee, along with Mr McCreevy and the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke; the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey; the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, and the Attorney-General, Mr Michael McDowell.
The committee, designed to ensure that the plan's targets are met, will come up with "new and innovative" ways to tackle planning and other problems, Mr McCreevy said. According to Mr Ahern, the proposed planning Bill will help speed up infrastructure projects. The combined efforts of the National Roads Authority, the Cabinet sub-committee, local authorities and regional assemblies should be able to push through the necessary projects, he said.
Ms Harney said the Government had the "imagination and determination" to turn words into reality.
For the first time, the vast bulk of the investment comes from Irish taxpayers. "It is our plan," Mr Ahern said. "It is a plan for our country. It is a plan for our future." According to Mr McCreevy, only about £4.5 billion will come from the EU, with some £1.98 billion being funded through public-private partnerships. The rest - £33.8 billion - will come from the taxpayer.
The plan will invest over £13.5 billion in the Border, midlands and west region and more than £27 billion in the south and east. However, investment per head is almost 40 per cent higher in the Border, midlands and west.
According to Ms Harney, this is the first time the less advantaged regions have a higher allocation. She announced that the Government would now ensure that half of all new greenfield jobs projects would go to the Objective One area. There would also be a focus on bringing sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure to the regions, as a basis for e-commerce.
The priority, according to Mr McCreevy, is infrastructure. On average this will receive an allocation of £3 billion a year, a 55 per cent increase over 1999 levels.
Transport has funding under the plan of £2.2 billion; of this, almost £1.6 billion will be invested in Dublin and surrounding areas. Over £1 billion of the public-private partnership money will go on roads. Firm proposals on routes will be announced over the next several months and these are likely to mean tolls, Mr McCreevy said.
According to Ms O'Rourke, the special Cabinet implementation committee will be meeting CIE next Tuesday to discuss exactly how it will use the money. A meeting with the National Roads Authority has been scheduled for the following week.
At the same time, £4.7 billion has been allocated to developing national roads and some £1.6 billion to non-national and local roads.
Over £15 billion is earmarked to promote social inclusion. Around £6 billion of this will be spent on social and affordable housing. The plan also provides £11 billion for employment and human resources. There is another £8.5 billion to support investment in industry, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism. A key feature of this is £2 billion made available for research and development.
The Tanaiste also pointed out that £250 million will be made available for childcare. According to the Taoiseach, further measures will be unveiled on Budget day, December 1st.